Restitution
by Spacebabie
Summary: A new threat has come to ENCOM's grid, pulling in those who believe that a world within was just a fantasy. A fallen hero takes up the call to protect them and help save the system.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: TRON and TRON Legacy belong to Disney.

**Restitution**

_Chapter One: New Beginning_

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* * *

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_1989 Three months prior to Flynn's disappearance _

"I'll be right back," Alan Bradley excused himself as he stood up from the couch. His guests had told him what he wanted and they all took up on his offer from refreshments.

The Bradley house was crowded that evening, not because of a formal or friendly gathering. Alan and Lora's son Jet had received the new Encom Victory system with the new activity board that was guaranteed to be even better than their rival's power pad. One of the games was a surf and skateboard game and the board was able to shift and wobble and measure the balance of the person who stood on it.

Two of the kids were friends of Jet from the neighborhood, Ricky Hernandez and Chrissy Greene. Sam Flynn was brought over due to invitation, that and his father wanted to see the kid's reactions. The last two children that were brought over were Janelle Harper and her two and half year old sister, Lisa. The Harpers were at the hospital getting ready to welcome their third child into the world and they asked the Bradley's to watch the girls.

The kids enjoyed playing with the Activity Board, even little Lisa had a few turns on it before she got tired of it. The afternoon turned into an early evening. Chrissy and Ricky both had their parents permission to stay for dinner and Lora ordered everyone pizza. The kids ate and played some more, but now it was getting late. Kevin had offered to wind down the over stimulated kids with one of his stories.

"Kevin has a great imagination," Alan said as he handed the bottle of beer over to Carlos Hernandez. "He can tell such vivid stories."

"As long as my daughter is no longer over excited," David Greene said as he was given his glass of ice water.

"This should do the trick." Alan set the two glasses of soda down for Lora and Kevin. "Along with a warm bath and a good tuck in. I'll check in on them." He headed to his son's bedroom and nearly bumped into Lora.

"Sorry," his wife apologized.

"Both our faults," Alan admitted. "How is Lisa?"

"Sleeping," Lora answered. "Her arm tucked around her stuffed dragon."

"Going to look in on Kevin and the kids. Could you keep our other guests entertained?"

"I'll try, but my stories are not nearly as entertaining as our boss's," she said with a half laugh.

Alan chuckled and continued on his way to Jet's room. When he arrived he noticed the door was ajar and he could hear Kevin talking to the kids.

"The hero from our world jumped into the main glowing red form of the MCP."

Alan blinked. He heard Kevin telling this story to Sam and Jet before. It was about how Kevin was digitized with the laser in the lab, Lora's laser to be exact, and was transported into some form of cyberspace that had computer programs as sentient beings. Alan's own security program, Tron was one of these anthropomorphized programs and Lora's Yori was another.

"Then Tron killed him," Sam Flynn piped up and nearly fell of the bed. He was the biggest fan of the character called Tron and enjoyed the classic games. He was even wearing a black shirt with a yellow lightcycle on it.

"Easy kiddo," Kevin told his son. "I'm getting to that part."

Alan pressed his foot gently to the side of the door and gave a light push, opening it just a few more inches. He looked inside and watched as the kids were seated at one end of Jet's bed, all staring at Kevin with awe.

"The MCP was distracted," Kevin continued. He held his hands in front of him, palms out and side to side. "He could no longer control his barricade, leaving an opening." He spread his hands apart. "Tron threw his disk in. The code that Jet's daddy wrote was powerful enough to destroy the MCP."

"So I'm in this story once again," Alan whispered before he took a sip from his beer.

"The hero from our world was returned home," Kevin continued. "The system was free. Everyone knew the evil boss was a thief and he was fired and the hero took his place."

"He became an evil boss?" Ricky asked. His black shirt had a red Thundercat's logo on it.

"I'm not evil," Kevin mouthed. "No, he became a good boss that is friends with his employees and tries to listen to people and comes up with a lot of tubular ideas."

Alan had to cringe at that word. He had already promised himself he was not going to try to earn cool points by acting like a teenager and using their words.

"What happened to Tron and Yori?" Janelle asked. Her auburn hair was tied into pigtails and her two front adult teeth were half grown. "Did they marry and live happily ever after?"

"I don't know if they called it marriage," Kevin said. "But I do know they love each other very much and they worked together to create a special border for the ENCOM system. It would keep invading programs out and if another MCP comes into power it won't steal programs from other places of business."

"Are there more stories?" Chrissy asked. She had pale pink headband over her short blond hair.

"There are a lot more stories," Kevin said. "Stories about how the hero found a way back and started to create his own computer world with cities." He opened a small tote bag that he carried with him. "Those will have to wait until another time." He pulled out small hand sized glow in the dark Frisbees. "These are for you guys." He handed them out to the kids.

"Just like Tron," Jet said when he received his. He held his Frisbee above his head. "I fight for the Users."

"I am a User," Sam said.

"You will not defeat me," Ricky said as he waved his arms around.

"It's the MCP," Sam said as he pointed to their friend.

"Take that." Jet gently tossed his disk at Ricky.

"Jethro," Alan said in a commanding voice as he stepped into the room. "You do not throw your toys at your friends."

"Just make believe," Kevin said.

"You were supposed to be winding them down," Alan said. "It's getting late. Ricky and Chrissy's parents are here waiting for them."

As if on cue, Ricky and Chrissy got up and walked out of the room.

"They'll be walking home right?" Kevin asked and pointed at the Frisbee in Sam's hand. "Always good to have something that glows when walking in the dark.

The slight bit of anger that Alan had formed and was about to use as fuel for lecturing his friend had faded. Once again Kevin Flynn had made a good point.

"Look," Janelle said. She was spinning her Frisbee on her finger. It spun around six times before it fell off. "Ahhh. I was just getting started."

"That was pretty good," Kevin said and gave her a light pat on the head. "You keep practicing and you will be good as Tron someday."

"Really?" The little girl asked and stared at Kevin with admiration.

"If I believe it, then it must come true."

"Janelle, why don't you go find Lora and ask her to draw you a bath," Alan said to the girl.

"Sam, go get your stuff together," Kevin turned to his son. "I'll meet you in a bit."

"Jet, go and help him," Alan instructed. It was time he and his friend and boss had a little talk. He turned to Kevin once he was sure they were alone. "I couldn't help but overhear some of the stories you have been telling these kids."

"Not quite a best seller, but it keeps them entertained."

"About the one you just told. You mentioned that I helped someway. This wouldn't involve that night that you and I hacked into the ENCOM mainframe." He remembered that night all too well. Alan sat down at his own cubicle while he worked to get past the MCP's security and find his program and Lora took Kevin to one of the terminals in the laser lab so he could find his lost files and prove that Dillinger really had stolen them from him. Alan had to reign in his own excitement when he got to Tron and gave him the needed code to delete the MCP.

"The best stories are inspired by the truth." Kevin had yet to lose that shit eating grin from his face.

"I know that actually entering the world of the computer was a metaphor for you being able to bypass security." He noticed his friend's smile had faded a bit. "But then you mention building your own version of this Grid and getting back inside."

"The adventure has to go on."

"I heard how the hero got in before, but how does he go back?"

The laser was discontinued after the funding for the digitizing project had stopped. There were many concerns for safety and many who felt humanity wasn't ready for teleportation machines. There were also concerns that people who work in the courier business and in travel would be out of jobs. It had long been disconnected, but it still existed. They have retooled it for other purposes and it has become an exhibit when ENCOM did tours for school field trips.

"There is always more than one way in."

"How?" The second he asked he knew the answer. Back in 83 Kevin had asked Lora for copies of the laser's blueprints and he had been ordering special parts and salvaging older parts that ENCOM would normally throw away. "You did not."

"Not what?"

"You did not build your own laser just so you can try and get into this fantasy world of yours."

"It's not a fantasy."

"Kevin Flynn, listen to yourself. You talk about entering some alternate dimension by zapping your body with a laser."

"Why do you think it's not real?"

"It defies logic." Alan grabbed his friend by the shoulders. "Don't try whatever you are imagining and guessing. Do not for the love of God. Your son already lost his mother I don't want him to lose you because you made yourself explode trying to enter this cyberspace."

"I promise you I won't make myself explode."

"And make sure the kids know this is all make believe when you tell them these stories."

"No problem, man." He slung the strap of the tote over his shoulder. "Well, see you at work tomorrow."

Alan sat the edge of his son's bed as soon as Kevin had left. He looked at the poster for the Tron game. Sentient computer programs living inside cyberspace. If it were real it would be amazing. He shook his head. Of course it wasn't real, that was ridiculous.

* * *

_21 years later. Real World Time_

The sea welcomed him, embraced him as he sank lower. It will be over soon; derezzing was inevitable, and he will accept it. After all that had happened to him. He cannot go back.

_Remember your promise._

The voice from within rang through his form. What promise? There was only one, and that was his programming. He remembered his promise and he broke it. The world will never be perfect, not in the way Flynn wanted.

Flynn! He was attacking him, his friend and the creator of the new world, the new Grid. He had become something else, something he detested. He had had failed and was eager to accept his punishment. There was no other way.

_Who do you protect?_

He was supposed to protect the Users. He was to fight for them. The Users created him and the others. The one he called Alan-One was his creator, his User. He fought for him and for Flynn. Together they were able to defeat the MCP and bring a new order to the Grid of the ENCOM LAN.

Flynn wanted him for something else. His friend spoke with Alan-One and with his permission he was able to join Flynn and a new program to create a new Grid. It was Flynn's dream to create a new Grid that will save his own world, to make it better.

The other program was called Clu. He resembled Flynn and was given the main order and direction and that was to help create the perfect world. The three of them worked together. They brought in other programs from other systems and Grids. They worked with and taught the ISOs. Flynn called them the miracle children. They had no Users. They were born from the Sea of Simulation.

He was excited about it as much as Flynn. He found a way to connect with ENCOM's Grid and spoke with Yori.

"It's beautiful," he had told her when they linked. "They came from the sea, fully functional."

"Are they programs?" Yori asked. "Like you and me?"

"Yes and no," he told her. "They are like programs, but they are different." He continued to tell her about the world and the ISO's.

"It sounds wonderful." Her smile had grown wider.

"You have got to come over. You have to see it for yourself."

"I want to," Yori said in a half defeated tone. She placed her hand on the divider screen that separated both systems. "But I am still needed here."

"When will you come over?" He had asked her. He wanted her to be with him, to see this brave new world. Ever since he had started to help make it, he had thought of her. "Flynn wants to see you again and Clu wants to meet you."

"When you are done. I promise I will come over and see this world."

"We will be together?"

"Forever."

They never reunited. Clu changed and became corrupted. He tried to change the system to fit his idea of perfection. Clu tried to kill Flynn.

"I failed." He was able to help Flynn escape but Clu did something to him, corrupt him. He became the enforcer of the Grid. He became Rinzler. Now he was free of the corruption. He was never going to see Yori, or show her the new Grid.

_Who do you fight for?_

He fought for the Users. He repeated those words when he saw Flynn, the ISO, and the son of Flynn. He fought for them and his friends. He overcame the corruption and took out Clu, or he had thought. He fought back against Clu, but it still wasn't enough.

Clu was still functioning. That meant he was going to continue on his path. He was going to derezz the Users and the ISO.

No! He could not let that happen. He had to make sure Clu was derezzed and then he was going to allow his punishment to take him.

_I fight for the Users. _

The thought kept repeating through his mind as he swam to the surface, and with what little bit of strength he had left he climbed out of the sea and onto the shore.

He was still crawling when the explosion happened. The force was enough to rock him and force him to roll into the mountain wall. He did not look back at the direction of the blast and sought shelter in a nook at the bottom of the wall and continued to crawl until both the shaking had stopped.

He watched as glowing bits of data flew towards him. A large piece came into contact with his armor and was absorbed into his being .He saw an image of Flynn flicker before his eyes before it faded out.

"No," he whispered. "No!" He had failed again.

"No you haven't," the voice of Flynn was heard in his head. "They made it through. My son is alive. Quorra is alive."

"What do I do?"

"Keep on fighting, buddy."

"I will fight for you, my friend."

"I know you will, Tron."

"Flynn," Tron gasped out his friend's name.

"We will rebuild."

Tron nodded. They will rebuild the Grid, but first he needed to rest.


	2. Business As Usual

**Restitution**

_Chapter 2: Business as usual_

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* * *

_

"Hold the elevator," Alan shouted as he raced towards the elevator doors that were closing. He did not have much time to grab the paper file from his office and then get to the morning meeting.

"Got it," the young man said as he placed himself in between the elevator and the lobby.

"Thank you," Alan said once he stepped inside. He had to lean against the back of the elevator to catch his breath. There was a time when he was able to race to the elevator and not need to catch his breath. There was also a time when would have been able to race up the steps. That time had long passed and Alan received the harsh reminder when he looked into the mirror and was greeted by his head full of gray hair.

"Don't need to sweat it, Mr. Bradley," the young man said while the other man in the elevator pressed some of the buttons.

"Adrian, how many times have I asked you to just call me Alan?"

"Several." Adrian Dawson shrugged. He was in his late twenties, around the same age as Sam and Jet. He kept his blond hair cut and styled in a conservative fashion and was dressed in a slate gray suit with bright blue tie.

"Don't keep trying," the other man said. He was Robert Harper. He was about the same age as Alan with hair that was almost equally silver and light brown eyes. His suit was almost black. "Took him a while to call me Bobby."

Alan smiled. "How are you both today?"

"Great," Adrian said. "I may need to invest in a shotgun though."

"You have robberies near where you live?" Bobby asked.

The younger man shook his head and smiled. "No. At Kathleen's sonogram yesterday we found out the baby will be a girl."

"Congratulations," Alan and Bobby said at once.

Adrian's smile faded. "We are going to name her Janelle."

"Thank you," Bobby said in sad tone as the elevator opened.

Alan exited along with Bobby and ran to his office. He could not help himself but to think of Janelle Harper. She was Bobby's oldest child and she and Adrian were in love. After college graduation several of the students went on a cruise to celebrate. Janelle was accidentally knocked over. They were able to pull her out of the water but could not revive her.

Alan sighed as he opened the door to his office. He didn't even acknowledge his secretary and immediately went for the file that was in the bright red folder on top of his desk. As he picked it up his eyes fell on his old air popper.

People had often asked why he kept using that thing. He had a small microwave in his office. He could just buy the bags, except there were no memories with the bags. The popper had been with him for nearly thirty years. He had it back when he was still a cubicle warrior. Alan munched on a bowl of the freshly popped snack while he worked on security programs. He often popped a bowl for when the kids made a visit. Janelle had lost her first baby tooth while eating the popcorn.

"After the meeting," Alan told himself as he ran out of the office. He would make a nice bowl of popcorn and invite Bobby, Adrian and Sam to his office.

* * *

"And that in summary is the new security and anti-virus program," Alan said as he finished informing the others of the board of what he and several others have been creating. The new program was simply called Guardian. It would protect several systems from viruses, malware, worms, pop ups.

"Wow," Sam Flynn could not hide his enthusiasm. "I'm almost about to hide my dignity and ask how you did it."

"Not to mention how he was able to do it all," Edward Dillinger Junior asked in a bored tone. "Still writing programs at his age and is the head of the board."

"We all wish we could be that multi talented," Bobby said. There was no hint of mockery in his tone.

"Thank you," Alan said as he sat down. He had to fight back against the urge to glare at Dillinger. The younger man had the same amount of arrogance as his father.

"Now about the profits of last month," Sam said. He was trying. It had been only a week since he agreed to come and actually work at company. He did not do it half assed as many had thought. Sam threw himself into the company, showing his skills and the fact that he was able to walk in his father's footsteps.

"Profits have gone up three percent," Dillinger said as he grabbed everyone's attention. "We of course expect it to rise ten times that amount when we release the new ENCOM Warrior."

Alan wasn't sure if he liked the fact that the company was also jumping on the wagon of a gaming system that follows the movements of the players. ENCOM used to be the first to release new ways of gaming, but the popular rival were first with their system and while Alan refused to admit that he bought one he did enjoy playing the sports games on that system.

A cool crisp breeze blew against Alan and continued across the table. It was surprisingly not strong enough to upset any papers, but enough to cause the pen that was closest to Dillinger's hand to roll away.

"And furthermore," Dillinger said as he tried to reach for his pen as it rolled even further from him. "Could somebody please close that window?"

"All the windows are closed," Bobby said He was clearly trying to hide a smile. "Might be the air conditioning kicking up."

"Or maybe it's the ghost," Karen O'Neil said as she held up her hands and made her fingers wiggle. Several people chuckled at her response.

"Ghost?" Sam asked. "This is a bit of office humor?"

"If you weren't late to the party you might have heard about it," Dillinger said.

"Don't worry about it," Alan said. He avoided having to glare at the brat by giving Sam an assuring nod. "I'll tell you about it later." Ghost or not something had embarrassed Dillinger and Alan was grateful.

* * *

"Poor little Junior," Janelle said as she floated out of the boardroom and sank through several floors. "Served him right." She hated half the members of the board, corporate dickery at it's finest and Ed Dillinger Junior was the biggest dick of them all.

It had been nearly five years since she came to ENCOM. She mostly came because she followed both Adrian, her father and Alan Bradley. She had watched them while they worked and grew to know their co-workers. There were some she liked and some she hated. Those that she hated she played pranks on, harmless of course, but it brought smiles to the others.

Janelle had no idea why she hadn't moved on from both the company and into some final resting place unless ENCOM was that, but she had no idea why. She was never really interested in corporations or writing programs so it wasn't exactly Heaven and it couldn't be Hell because she was not in any form of torment, boredom yes, torment no. There also the matter of those that she had cared about, not everyone was smarmy jerk. Her father wasn't one, Alan wasn't, nor was Adrian or Sam. They were amongst the people she loved or liked.

Janelle hovered near her beloved Adrian. They met when they were both freshmen and Berkley. They fell in love the following year. After they graduated they talked about moving in together. He would work at ENCOM where he had been interning for a couple of years and she would go to veterinary school.

That was before the fated cruise. She was half drunk and just wanted to stare that the stars. Nobody knew that someone else who was a whole lot drunker than she was tripped while dancing and crashed into her, sending her over the side. She was a decent swimmer but the impact of the water had her struck her unconscious.

Janelle was not angry that Adrian had moved on. She wanted him to be happy. He was a good man and he deserved someone special and Kathleen was perfect. She was one of Janelle's closest friends. She was smart, pretty and had one of the kindest hearts. Kathleen became a schoolteacher for children with mental and physical disabilities.

She watched with a bit of curiosity as Adrian and his team work on Guardian. Alan had come up with the idea and the framework, but it was Adrian and his team who worked on it, with Alan's help of course.

After watching her former lover at work she floated through the labs to make sure no one would get hurt. It took a lot to move an object, but she did what she could to prevent accidents. There wasn't much to do except to make sure a few things didn't get knocked over and listen in to some gossip. She had noticed that some were working with the large laser that was on one side of the lab.

"I wonder if that meeting is over," Janelle said after an hour and floated back the boardroom. There were only two people in there and they were cleaning up. "I guess I'll check on everyone."

* * *

She decided to start with Alan and finish with her father since she would spend the longest time with him. She liked Alan. He was always friendly to Janelle when her father brought her and her siblings to the office. She would join Sam, Jet, and a few others and draw with the dry erase markers on the board or play games on the computers. She remembered when they played puzzle games like chess, and moved on to Tetris and later on to Carmen Sandiego. They also hung out together at company picnics and ENCOM employee days at theme parks or when one of their fathers threw together a barbecue.

Alan was a good man. He was a great father and he did not allow himself to be corrupted by the mighty green dollar. He was smart and easy on the eyes. That man aged slowly and gracefully and even though his hair had all gone gray, Janelle still thought he was attractive. He was the first man she crushed on when she had first gone through puberty.

"Stop that," she chided herself as she neared Alan's office. Alan was about the same age as her father, she was in love with Adrian, and she was dead. What was it called when the dead fell for the living? Reverse Necrophilia?

Alan was not in his office but the air popper was in the middle of making popcorn. Janelle had to smile. The man certainly loved his popcorn.

"Alan?" Junior's voice was heard on the other side of the door.

"What does he want?" Janelle floated closer to the door.

"I want to ask you something." Junior opened the door and stuck his head inside. He glanced around the office and smiled. "Let's see what you have been working on."

Oh Hell no. Janelle used everything in her mind over matter abilities to close the door on him. When she heard the knob turn she placed her transparent hands over it and concentrated to keep Junior from opening it again.

"Edward?" Alan asked from outside.

"I was looking for you," Junior said. "I wanted to speak with you privately about a few things."

"You just wanted to know what big thing he is working on so you can steal it," Janelle said. She did not have to care about being discreet or quiet. No one was able to hear her.

"Can it wait an hour?" Alan asked. "I've already made arrangements to meet with Bobby, Sam and Adrian."

All four of them were going to be together? Janelle did not have to float around the offices at all.

"I also heard the popper and was going to ask if I could have some popcorn," Junior said.

"Probably going to steal some without asking," Janelle said.

"Yeah sure," Alan said and entered his office. He grabbed a small paper bowl and put a little more than just a handful of popcorn it and handed it to Junior.

"Thank you," Junior said as he walked away.

Alan closed the door behind him and sighed. "Anything to get rid of him."

"I hear you," Janelle said.

"I almost wish there was a ghost and he would go haunt him." Alan sat down and turned on his computer.

"Mr. Bradley, your wish is my command." She would check back on the group later after she had a little bit of fun with Junior.

* * *

Junior had his back facing the door when Janelle walked through the wall and into his private office. Junior had a few of his personal items on the desk. There was that purple slinky he liked to bounce back and forth in his hand. The ENCOM Tag-a-long and a couple games for it was placed next to a book on Egyptian mythology

He had a small phone in his hand against his ear. It did not look like a company phone either. Janelle wasn't sure who he was calling. She had overheard practically everything gossip wise and Junior was not married, divorced yes, but not seeing anyone. He could be speaking with his ex about alimony or something.

There was the possibility that he had a new girlfriend and was talking to her. Hard to believe there was some woman out there who would enjoy his royal smarminess. Junior did have some things going for him. He was good looking, he was smart, he had money and he did ham it up and go into ultra clown mode when the kids came around on field trips.

"No dad," Junior said. "The plan is in full motion."

"What plan?" Janelle asked.

"Dad, dad slow down," Junior continued the phone call. "I do respect Kevin Flynn. He did have some great ideas. Just several board members with their integrity and that Sam Flynn. He does his little stunts and then one day he decides to show up to work here and most of the people here roll over and let him get away with murder."

"Poor baby got his thunder stolen?" She floated closer to the brat and thought extremely cold thoughts.

"I'm not going to do the dirty deed myself," Junior said as he wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. "I have someone on the outside." That did not sound good. "Gave him everything to bypass security and upload it into the system, and I will be the only one to fix it. Don't worry. We will take the company back."

If Janelle was able to breath she would have let out a loud gasp. Junior was paying someone to download a virus into the system so he could become the big boss at ENCOM? She had no idea how that was going to work, but she knew she had to get some sort of warning out to her father, or Adrian.

Damn it, how was she going to be able to do that? It would take too much out of her to call someone. There was no way she could direct someone to listen in on the call and even then it would have been too late. She could take a pen and write out the message, but it would take a long time and by then the virus might have been downloaded, but she still had to try.

* * *

"I think I forgot the napkins," Alan said as he stared at his butter coated fingers. "I'll go grab some paper towels from my bathroom."

"What about project Guardian?" Adrian asked as he grabbed another handful of the snack food.

"I'll let you explain it to Sam and Bobby." Alan ran to his office bathroom and grabbed a handful of the tan paper towels and came back as Adrian was explaining how it worked like a biological vaccine.

"It attacks what has been corrupted," Adrian continued. "And it cleans it out. It also sticks to what hasn't been affected and it keeps the virus from attacking it. Just like most antivirus it will prevent more viruses from attacking and it will of course need to be updated."

"Sounds good," Sam said. "I can't wait to see the prototype."

"My team and I will have it finished in an hour." Adrian grabbed one of the towels and cleaned off his fingers. "I better get going back down there. Thanks for the popcorn Mr—Alan."

"I should be getting back to my office," Bobby said as he cleaned his fingers. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Don't mention it," Alan said. As soon as the door closed he turned to Sam. "How are you holding up?"

Sam shrugged. "First week is always hard."

"I've seen Ed Dillinger Junior give you a hard time."

"I can see why. I'm the new kid who just waltzed in here and is already climbing to the top." He rubbed his forehead and ran his fingers through his hair. "I still am amazed how dad was able to do it all."

"You need to give yourself some time. Your father wasn't able to do it all in one day."

"No, but when he was my age he created Space Paranoids and several more games."

"You don't have to compare yourself to him. Your father never jumped from helicopters." He gave the youth a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Why don't you go back to what you were working on and relax."

"Thanks." Sam stood up and cleaned his hands and left.

"Back to work." Alan went through some papers and wanted to secure them together with a paperclip. He reached for the jar, but they have been moved to the far corner of the desk. "Who moved these?" He picked it up and noticed a scrap of paper underneath.

* * *

Tron stumbled as he walked along the path that only he could see. He kept hearing Flynn's voice to urge him on and to give him direction. The direction kept on changing. With Flynn's guidance he would work on repairing part of the Grid that was broken or destroyed.

He had seen the son of Flynn and the last ISO also work on the Grid, but he kept his distance from them. He could not show his face to them, not after what he had done. He would keep his distance and continue on trying to repair what he can on his own.

Tron sat down. He needed to rest. He thought about hitting another club or bar and having a few drinks and try to ignore Flynn telling him to not wallow in misery.

"We are close to finishing this part of ground," Flynn's voice was heard.

"I need rest."

"Take your time."

"I need something else," Tron said as he put his head in his hands. "I need to fight for them. I need to fight." He felt a powerful surge inside him as he watched a few programs walk around. Some of them were breaking the rules, Clu's rules. He had to enforce them. "I have to enforce the rules." His voice took on a growl. "Restore order, make it perfect." He felt his helmet form around his head.

"Don't do it," Flynn told him. "Who do you fight for? Who do you protect?"

"The Users." Tron felt a surge go through him. He stared at his lights and watched as it flickered from orangeish red to blueish white. "I was becoming him again."

"I'm not going to let that happen. You will always be Tron."


	3. The Virus

**Restitution**

_Chapter 3: The Virus_

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* * *

_

Alan stared at the scrap of paper in his hand and read it over again. All it said was Virus unleashed. Corrupt system. Despite that it was written similar to a child he took the warning seriously. He had sent out the memo via email and called everyone while he uploaded updates to the current antivirus software they had and tried to strengthen the firewall.

It had been too late. Whatever the virus was it had been loaded. Several programs were either erased or reformatted, many systems crashed and many more blocked. It took the combined efforts of Alan, Sam and Adrian and several others to try to get something stabilized. They were only able to get one third of the LAN online and to keep it from being further corrupted. Whatever the virus was the security firewall was able to keep it from infiltrating the entire system.

Once the firewall was stabilized the next step was to see who had caused it. The note did not say. They tried to use tracking programs within the secured area and found nothing. They also tried to search within the infected area, but no matter how strong a program was it became either corrupted or it was deleted.

"Damn," Alan said as he looked at the note. "I wish you can tell me who did this." He ran his finger over the lines. They were faint as if the pen barely touched the paper and as he examined it further it looked less like a child's writing but more like it caused the informant great pain to write it out. "Were you in a hurry? Did the people responsible hurt you or chase you away?"

A cool breeze tickled the back of his neck. He was certain the window was closed. It could have been the A/C kicking on, but it never hurt to check. As he walked to the window he heard something fall down behind him.

"What the?" Alan spun around and walked back to his desk as he heard a few beeps coming from the floor. His cell was open and lying on the carpet. When Alan picked it up he saw that Ed Dillinger Junior's name and number was highlighted. What was going on?

His phone shook in his hand and buzzed. Someone else was calling him.

"Hello?" He answered it.

"Alan this is Sam. I have got an idea. It's a long shot but meet me at the arcade after work."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know of a way to get in," Sam said.

"You are going to hack your way into ENCOM through the Internet? The Net has been blocked."

"There is another way," Sam said. "I've been informed of it on my last visit."

"Last visit?" Alan had a vague idea of what the boy was talking about. Sam had mentioned going inside the system to a Grid world. It was too far fetched to believe it but Sam was serious, so had his father. Kevin Flynn had claimed that he got in. Sam said that his new friend, Quorra had come from this Grid world, she certainly did seem to come into Sam's life out of nowhere.

"Can't explain now," Sam said. His voice grew softer, as if he was afraid that someone might be listening in on the conversation. "Just get to the arcade as soon as you can. Adrian is also coming. He has another idea that might also work."

"What is it that you exactly have in mind?"

"Can't talk now. I have to go."

"Sam, wait," Alan spoke but he got no response. He turned off his phone. He wondered if he should call Dillinger and ask him if he called him recently, or tried to call him. Why else would the number be highlighted?" He shook his head and set the phone down. Now was not a good time. He would call him later. He had a lot of work to do.

* * *

Tron kneeled down when he saw another glowing crack in the side of the mountain. It was one of the biggest ones he came across. He mumbled a little prayer to both Flynn and Alan-One and rubbed his hands on the crack. He watched as it slowly smoothed away to normal rock

"Found another," Flynn's voice said. "Near the port of ENCOM."

"Yori," Tron said as he placed the new shard with the others. "I can see her again." His smile faded. "She won't want to see me, not after what I have done."

"Don't do this to yourself," Flynn told him. "She will be ecstatic to see you."

"I haven't seen her in cycles. Much has changed. I have changed." He hugged himself. "I might become Rinzler. I could hurt her."

"No you won't. You would never hut those you cared about."

"I almost hurt you and your son."

"But you didn't. Your true self will always come out in the end."

"We will save this world," Tron said as he felt a new purpose.

"You and me buddy, but you should rest first."

* * *

Alan allowed himself to sink down in the couch in Kevin's old office above the arcade. Sam had the place renovated for some reason. He could not believe what he had just heard. Sam said he was going into the system, he and Quorra both. He stared at Sam in disbelief.

"The Internet has been blocked off," Adrian said. He had taken some time to change his clothes and was now wearing a Laker's shirt, pair of blue jeans, and sneakers.

"There is more than one-way to get into ENCOM's LAN," Sam said. He had also changed clothes and wore an outfit similar to Adrian's.

"Hacking in the old fashioned way?" Adrian asked.

"There is another Grid," Quorra said. She was the only who remained standing. She was also the only one who wore shorts. There was something off about her. She seemed to be curious about everything, things that a young woman her age should know about. He remembered what Sam said about her, but that can't be true. It just can't.

"What are you talking about?" Adrian asked.

"A more secure Grid," Quorra answered. "It's still being repaired, but it is safe from infection. We get in there and go through a port."

"So pretty much hacking in the old fashion sense," Adrian said with a nod.

Sam held up his hand. "Yeah pretty much." It looked like he was not going to try and explain the new other world to Adrian. He tried with Alan and that fell flat.

"And you have this secure grid," Alan asked. He stared into Sam's eyes, half wondering if the boy was going to continue with his belief of downloading himself into this other world.

"We do," Sam answered. "Quorra and I. We can get in through there."

Alan nodded. "What is your plan Adrian?"

"You remember that Guardian we were working on?" Adrian asked as he looked at Sam.

"Yes I do," Alan nodded and decided to explain it to Quorra since she was the only one out of the loop. "It's a different kind of anti-virus software. One that can bypass most problems that an infected system might have, get inside and repair the damage, fix the corruption and repair the system."

"I know I can get inside, bypass any way of blocking me, upload the software and guide it through," Adrian added

"Sounds good," Sam told him.

"There is one problem," Adrian said. "I've tried to do it earlier from my terminal. Whatever that has been uploaded had some form of recognition program. It knows me and my password. Everyone in my office has password protected terminals."

"Does anyone have a terminal without the need for a password?" Quorra asked.

"None," Sam said as he let out a defeated sigh. He was right. Nearly all of the computers at ENCOM had password protected systems. The only ones that weren't were no longer in any use.

"There is one," Alan said. "In the old laser lab."

"That one hasn't been in use in nearly ten years," Adrian said. "I can upload the files from my flashdrive to a CD but not to anything older."

"It can take a disk," Alan said. "I'll go with you and show you how to work it."

"You think it's safe?" Sam asked. Alan knew what was the cause of worry in his voice. His father had told Alan how he had destroyed the Master Control Program by going inside the Grid through that laser.

"No stargates or magic portals are going to appear," Alan said as he stood back up.

Adrian stared at them as if they were both nuts. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing, kid," Alan said as he clapped his hand on Adrian's shoulder. "How long will it take you to transfer the files and get back to ENCOM?"

"About an hour."

"Quorra and I will log in to our Grid in an hour," Sam said.

"I hope this works," Alan said as he headed out of the office.

* * *

"Flynn?" Tron asked as he neared the barrier that separated ENCOM from Flynn's Grid. "Are you there?"

"I'm here," Flynn answered. "For now."

"For now?" Tron asked. He looked up and saw the clouds and lightening. His view was temporary cut off by a small cloud of bits as they flew over his head. "What do you mean?"

"Sam is helping us," Flynn answered. "I have to guide him. When he returns I will go with him."

Tron nodded. "I remembered the directions, but what if he resurfaces?"

"Think of those who you care about, those you love. They will keep the beast at bay."

"I will keep him down," Tron said. "I will succeed." He continued on until he reached the wall where the port was. He placed his hand against it to activate the command, but as soon as he touched he felt a shock.

"What was that?" Flynn asked.

"I don't know." Tron scowled at the wall. "I'm going to try again." He placed his hand against the doorway again. There was no shock the second time. It just felt cold. "It's closed."

"How?"

"I do not know. Something is wrong in the ENCOM LAN."

"Don't tell me something has happened on the outside," Flynn said. "Sam."

"Alan-1," Tron gasped.

"Jack, Bobby, Samantha," Flynn rattled of the names of several other Users that Tron was not familiar with.

"Yori." Tron gritted his teeth and smashed is fist against the wall.

"We or you will get inside."

"There is no stopping me."

* * *

"Ha!" Alan nearly shouted as he got the computer up and running. "This thing still works after all."

"I'm surprised no one recycled it to someplace like Best Buy," Adrian said as the EC 7 appeared on the screen. "A number seven. When did those come out again?"

"Ninety Eight," Alan answered as the computer screen had finished loading up and he and Adrian both stared at a simple teal screen with several icons. He used a mouse to move the arrow over the ENCOM LAN icon. "As to answer your question I think a lot of us thought we were still going to use it, at least for inventory purposes."

"Inventory of things long forgotten," Adrian said as he slid into the chair. He glanced over his chair to the direction of the digitizing laser. "That's got a be an OSHA violation."

"Haven't used this thing in years," Alan said as he brushed his fingers against the glass screen of the laser, expecting to remove inches of dust. "I wonder if someone found another use for the thing, recently."

"Great."

"It's no longer operational, completely offline." He checked and made certain the switches were off. They were indeed turned off. The thing was still mounted and plugged in but it was off.

"Still doesn't inspire confidence," Adrian said as his fingers flew across the keys. "Okay, now it's asking for a password."

"This still can work," Alan said. "This virus is set to block the codes of the up to date systems not what we used back then."

"You wouldn't know what it was?"

"Type in Y-O-R-I-L-U-X-O."

Adrian typed in the words. "Huh," he said in disbelief when the main landing page for the LAN appeared "It still works."

"Haven't changed anything."

"Now it's saying Hello." Adrian sat back. "I wonder if I should say hello back."

Alan shrugged. "Couldn't hurt."

"Hello User," a voice came through the speakers. It sounded like it was altered, too deep to be a normal human's voice. It caused Alan to jump.

"Whoa." Adrian made his chair scoot back. "Where did that come from?"

"Identify yourself, User," the same deep voice asked before.

"Identify yourself," Adrian said. "Who are you and where in the building are you?"

"I am not in the building. I'm within the system."

"Somebody thinks they are funny," Alan said and tried not to sound as worried as he felt. He felt like a part of history was about to repeat itself.

"My name is Doctor Dawson," Adrian answered as he typed away. "Your main system is not feeling well and I'm going to give you some medicine."

"I am not infected."

"Then why are many files and programs being deleted and or corrupted?"

"A new order."

"Who's order?" Alan demanded.

"My order. My Users and creators gave the order. I am to be in charge. This will all belong to them."

"Another Master Control Program," Alan muttered under his breath.

"More like some form of Malware that thinks it's charge," Adrian said as he continued to type. "Or some joker pretending to be an A.I."

"I am not Malware."

"Then what do we call you?" Adrian asked.

"Lord and Master."

"Okay, Foamy it is then."

"Who created you?" Alan asked.

"I will not answer," the program said.

"Come on, Foamy," Adrian said. "Level with us. Who's your daddy?"

"I will not disclose that information. The answer is secure."

"Maybe we will find out when we erase it," Alan said.

"You will not erase me."

"Wanna bet?" Adrian asked.

"I do not make bets," Foamy said. "Stop."

"You are getting close," Alan said. "Keep at it."

"I cannot allow this to continue," the program or joker said.

"Too bad," Adrian said. "Once we are done here we will find out where you are located bud."

"You cannot find me. I am within."

"Adrian, careful," Alan instructed. "This thing could be a program."

"Naw. I read about that Mast Control Program you once had problems with. It started small but people kept adding more and more to it, took years to get it to where it was a pain in the butt." Adrian paused in his typing and pointed at the screen. "What we are dealing with is an actual person. I've surfed the web long enough to recognize trolls, hackers and other jackasses."

"You have a point. Unless they created the program a long time ago and are just now uploading it."

"Still human. You did say artificial intelligence? That means there has to be some form of intelligence."

"You will not get away with insulting me," the distorted voice said.

"Sorry, Foamy, did I hurt your widdle feelings?" Adrian asked. The room felt suddenly cooler.

"Are you trying to distract me?" Foamy asked. "No matter how much you lower the temperature you will not stop me."

"You are not doing this?" Adrian asked.

"Don't let him distract you," Alan said. "Keep going." He felt a deeper chill brush at the back of his neck. It almost felt like fingers, ice-cold fingers. He turned around.

The laser had been turned on it. It was fully operational and focused on Adrian. The glass had filled with a bright blue-green light.

"Adrian, look out!" Alan shouted and he pushed the chair with Adrian in it out of the way. The last thing he saw before everything turned dark was a flash of light and the outline of what appeared to be a woman.

* * *

**A/N**: As you can see there will be cliffhangers at the ends of some chapters.

The EC 7 is similar to Windows 98.


	4. Ghost in the Machine

**Restitution**

_Chapter 4: Ghost in the Machine_

_

* * *

_

Darkness was replaced with light so bright that it hurt Alan's eyes. He had to squint and blink for several seconds before he could fully open his eyes. He also felt disoriented and his legs felt weak. He took a step and fell against the wall and had to hold onto it for a second to brace himself and look around. He was in some odd hallway that had the floor and ceiling lit up with several square shaped lights. The walls were gray and divided into sections by thin beams of neon that glowed a bright orange-red.

A minute ago he was in the laser lab with Adrian and they were trying to get into the system so Adrian could upload Guardian. They were also talking with someone or something that claimed to be in control of ENCOM'S system. Adrian had called it Foamy.

The then Laser had been activated and was targeting the two of them. Alan had pushed Adrian out of the way and was struck by the beam, just like Kevin had claimed had happened to him nearly thirty years ago.

"Adrian?" Alan asked and looked around. He could not see the young programmer. There was a good possibility that Adrian hadn't also been digitized.

What was he thinking? He was not taken by a laser beam, altered into data or something similar and brought into a computer. He had heard one too many stories from Kevin Flynn, but what else had happened? How did he end up here and where was here exactly?

Alan examined his hands and arms. He looked the same. Nothing had changed about his appearance. He was still wearing the same clothes as before. The story Kevin told him about the first time he was sent to the world of cyberspace he had his clothing instantly changed to strange white armor with light blue circuitry.

"This can't be real," Alan said as he reached behind his back. There was no disk there. He heard footsteps behind him and turned around. Four figures was walking to him. All four were dressed from neck to toe in black that was adorned with thick glowing red lines. They were wearing what looked like black bicycle helmets with visors covering half of their faces and carrying glowing red staffs.

"Program," one of them spoke to him from behind the glasslike helmet. "Identify yourself."

"My name is Alan Bradley," Alan said as he held up his hands. He was in no condition to run.

"Turn around," the same speaker ordered.

Alan took one good look at the glowing red end of the staff like weapon. He was not going to argue with them. He turned around.

"He has no disk," the guard said. "Program, where is your Identity Disk?"

"I'm not a program," Alan said. They were right. Father and son were right about this place and now he was getting to experience it and not in the way he would want to experience it. "I'm a User. I just arrived and never received one."

"User?" The guard asked while his companions laughed. "The Users don't come here."

"Not any more," another one said.

"They never did," a third said.

"They have," the fourth spoke up. "A long time ago."

"Silence," the first guard ordered. "We'll take him to Regor. We'll see if he is fit enough."

"I can tell you know that I am not," Alan said. Sure he kept in shape at home with the gaming unit from their popular competitor, but it would not be enough to compete in the games that both Flynn's have talked about.

"Move," the guard ordered and brought the edge of the weapon against him.

The burning surge was enough for Alan to almost skip. "I'll go with you, but you will see I am far to old for these games."

"That is for Regor to decide."

"What if I'm not fit?" Alan asked. He wasn't certain what would happen to those who couldn't play.

"You better hope he finds you to be strong."

Alan swallowed as he followed the guards.

* * *

Janelle blinked her eyes as she sat up from where she was on the hard floor. She had to pause at that fact that she was out like that. For five years she never had blacked out. She grew weak but she never fell asleep. The dead don't need to sleep, but they can dream. Was this a dream?

"Where am I?" Janelle asked as she looked around her.

The sky was dark and cloudy. There were strange buildings all around her. She could not remember the last time she had seen buildings that were structured like the large post modern sculptures that were often found in front of many office buildings. They also reminded her of the fantasy cities that she made with wooden blocks when she was younger. Some of the buildings looked like diamond shapes stacked on top of each other, some were dome shaped with soaring spear like points in the middle, some were pyramid shaped, others like trapezoids and others looked like the letter L. Some of the buildings were glossy and black like obsidian, others were constructed of silver or metals that had a purple or blue tint. They all were framed and illuminated with multicolored neon.

"I'm not in ENCOM, not in Vegas and certainly not in Kansas."

She heard something and looked up and saw something large flying towards her. She wasn't sure how to describe it. It looked like a Torii. She had seen many of those magnificent gateways to Shinto shrines in pictures from Japan and in many forms of entertainment. This particular Torii was framed in glowing red lines and it was flying straight toward her. As it got closer it reminded her of something else. It looked like one of those flying things from Space Paranoids.

"It can't possibly see me." That is if it was a robot or it was some odd form of aircraft being flown by people. She stared down at the floor and was greeted by an image she hadn't seen in years, her reflection. She looked the same she had when her body was pulled out of the water and several doctors tried without success to resuscitate her. She was still dressed in her purple gown with the plunging neckline. Her dark red hair was halfway undone from the updo and she looked like she was dripping wet.

Her image was erased by the glowing white beam of light that covered her. She looked up to see the Torii like craft as it lowered itself until it was only a few feet above her. The middle bar lowered itself until it was nearly level with her. There were several people dressed in black armor decorated by glowing red lines.

"Uh hi," Janelle said. "You can see me?"

"We can see you," one of the men in black said. "Now identify yourself, program."

"What?" She couldn't feel, or breath, smell, sleep, or taste, but she could see and hear, but she wasn't certain if she was hearing right. "What did you call me?"

"Get aboard," the same soldier spoke to her. "Get on the Recognizer." He tried to grab her wrist but his hand went through her.

"Still non corporal," Janelle said. "I think that might mean I can still fly on my own so if you don't mind." She took a step back away from them.

"Come back here." The order was given as the glowing end of the staff passed through.

"No," Janelle gasped. "Not here. I can't be here." She jumped back a few more feet and ran as fast as she could. She went from running to floating and from floating to flying. "Five years I spend between the living and the hereafter and they send me here? Don't I get a fair trial in front of Saint Peter first?"

She continued to fly through the underworld, ghosting through buildings and did not stop until she saw four more guards lead a familiar face to an odd dome like building.

"Alan?" Janelle asked. "Mr. Bradley?" He was one of the last people she expected to be sent to this place and the last time she remembered he was still alive.

She froze. The last thing she actually remembered was that green-blue laser beam going through her and striking Alan in the chest. They both were trying to save Adrian who was the intended target, but why did the laser go off? She remembered both men were talking with something and Alan had called it a Master Control Program and her beloved Adrian called it Foamy. Did that beam send them to another world?

She didn't like what they were doing to Alan, but she had no idea where they were leading him to and at this time it would be best to simply follow without being seen.

* * *

Alan knew he looked like a baby gaping at everything, but he couldn't help himself. Everything was beautiful, amazing and frightening. A part of him wanted to flee and run, another knew that was not possible and the third part of his brain had been reverted to the mind of a distracted cat with how shiny everything was.

"In here, program," the guard said as he tried to push Alan inside the building."

"How many times do I have to tell you," Alan said as he avoided being struck by the staff again. "I am not a Program. I'm a human, a User."

"Some of us have delusions of grandeur it seems," a tall form came sauntering up to them. His armor was different with were distinct angular shoulder pads. He also was without a helmet. He had high and sharp cheekbones and a scar over his left eyebrow. His black hair was slicked back and tied into a ponytail that was held with flat red beads and hung over his left shoulder.

"Let me guess," Alan said as he studied the newcomer's face. "You must be Regor." He could not recognize his face. Kevin had told him that the programs in the system resembled their creators. This program was created by someone he did not know. When he got out, if he got out, he was going to have to look at everyone's personal profiles to see if the man worked at ENCOM.

"That is correct," the program said. "What do is your designation, User wannabe?"

"Alan."

"Very well, Alan," Regor said as he stared him up and down. "You do not seem to be too spry, but you do seem to have plenty of fight in you."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you are to be suited up for the games."

"I'm not a young man anymore. I can't compete in athletics."

"This should be interesting then," Regor said with his mouth set in a smirk. "Take him away."

"Let him go." A feminine and somewhat familiar voice shouted.

Several of the guardsmen danced around and tried to shock at something but to no success as a young woman walked through them.

"Mr. Bradley," the woman said as she approached him and Alan felt his heart stop. She looked and sounded exactly like Janelle Harper.

"Janelle?" Alan asked. How could this be possible? She was dead . This could have been a program that resembled her but Janelle never showed any interest in programming, unless this was something like an old personal website that had taken sentient form.

"Stop this program," Regor demanded.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Janelle asked. "Let him go."

"Janelle, get out of here," Alan said. He could not believe he was addressing this form as her.

"Not without you." Her eyes widened when she was struck by one of the staffs. "Ouch!" She jumped to the side. "That hurt. That actually hurt. I felt that."

"They are going to hurt you much more than that," Alan said. "Run."

Janelle ran, no it was more like she flew away and through more guards. "I'll come back for you."

"She didn't have an Identity Disk on her," one of the guards said.

"Two of them without disks," Regor said. His face twisted up into a snarl and grabbed Alan by the chin. "Who is she?"

"Innocent," Alan said. "Leave her alone." He closed his eyes when Regor's grip grew stronger.

"I want an answer. Who is that program?"

"She is not a program. She's also a User." At least she was when she was still alive.

"How was she able to move like that?"

"You will have to ask her." He didn't even know how Janelle was able to move like that. It was almost as if she was a ghost, but ghosts were not real, but how else was he able to see and communicate with Janelle, not to mention a few hours ago the thought a world in the computer was also not real.

Regor balled up his hand into a fist, but did not strike out at Alan. "Suit him up, but do not put him in any competition until I give the command."

The guards grabbed onto Alan's hands and brought him inside. How did Sam say they suited him up in the past? He said hey used some young cyber vamps to strip him off his clothes.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for them," Alan said.

"Them who?" One of the guards asked.

"The girls," Alan said as he was pushed against the wall.

"What girls?" The guard pressed his finger against the wall, apparently typing in a special code.

The wall behind him lit up with various colors as his clothing became illuminated. He felt the threads melt away from his body and leave behind something clinging to his skin. It felt like leather but it also felt light and soft. He also felt his glasses melt away into nothing. When the light faded he saw that he was covered in black leather like material.

"I need my glasses," Alan said as he looked up at his captors. Those that were close to him he could see clearly but the further away they were they more bleary they appeared.

"You won't need those," one guard said as he was typing something into a clear glass table.

"His armor is odd," one of the other guards said.

"Just put it on him."

The guards approached him with pieces of armor that had small glowing blue lights. Alan watched as they attached the armor to his arms, legs, chest, and abdomen. He was spun around when they fit more on his back. They even put on black gloves on his hands that seemed to highlight the bones on his thumb, index and middle fingers in bright blue light.

"Here's your disk," one of the guards said as they placed something against his back.

Alan sucked in his breath as he felt a surge go through his body. He barely heard what that one was telling him about the disk. He did hear it snap into place followed by a few beeps. His vision was filled with a blue-white light for a few seconds. He blinked his eyes once the light had faded and could not believe what he saw. Everything was clear, even things that were far away.

"Proceed this way to the holding cells for the games of the other guards said.

"Games," Alan repeated. He knew in order to survive he was going to have to win.

* * *

Regor stormed up the steps to his master's quarters. He did not care how disrespectful he was going to appear. He was lied to. His master had told them a new rogue program had been brought to their new section of the grid, just one and now there was two of them and the second one had abilities that had never seen in a program before.

Inhaling deeply Regor knocked on the door and waited for his master to acknowledge him before he stormed inside.

"Master with all due respect I wish you had told me you have brought two of them," Regor said.

"Are you forgetting your manners?" His master asked. He had asked those who served him to call him Master but he had a name. He was given the name of Osiris. He chose not to wear any armor and instead wore a long black coat trimmed in gold over sleek black clothes.

"I'm sorry," Regor said as he dropped to one knee.

"That is better," Osiris said. He was good looking for a male program. Even Regor had to agree. Osiris had dark hair styled short and parted in a way that had most of his bangs hanging over his right eye. His eyebrows formed an almost square like frame over blue eyes. His nose was pert and he had lush lips. "What is it you came to see me about?"

"You told me you brought a new program," Regor said. "There were two."

"Two?" Osiris asked as he arched a brow.

"There were two of them, A male and a female. They did not have any Identity Disk's on either them and the male insisted that they were both Users."

"Ah, yes." Osiris smiled. That's because they are."

"They are Users?" Regor could not believe what he was hearing. "You brought in Users?"

"I thought I only brought in one, although I did detect another energy source but that one was weaker, just barely there." He rubbed his chin. "Where are they?"

"The male has been suited up for the games. The female has escaped."

"Escaped?" Osiris asked. "The female has to be the second one, the weaker source. How was she able to get away?"

"She was hard to contain. She is intangible. We try to grab her and our hands and our weapons pass through her, only when she was distracted were we able to injure her. The male told her to run and she flew away."

"She flew away?"

"Correct," Regor said with a nod.

"Fascinating creature. Find a way to capture her. Have both her and the male fight in the games."

"I have told you she is quite hard to catch and the male seems to be older than the usual game warriors."

"Older?" Osiris raised an eyebrow.

"That is correct."

"We brought the wrong one in. Have the sentries prepare the portal beam again and as for the girl, I know you can lure her out, learn her weakness. Make her come to you."

"I will not disappoint you, master."

* * *

**A/N**: This is ENCOM'S LAN and system but I had Alan arrive in his original clothing since it had been years and the system had been through many upgrades since Flynn went down the digital rabbit hole.

Alan's armor is similar to Tron's but there will be a difference and the similarity is due to Tron 2.0.

Regor's name is mix of Renfield and Igor.


	5. Mysterious Rescuer

**A/N:** This chapter is a little bit more violent than the others. I was also had the Rinzler theme on loop while I was writing the violent scene. The drum beats at the beining remind me of a certain movie and hence the quote.

* * *

**Restitution**

_Chapter 5: Mysterious Rescuer_

_

* * *

_

Janelle kept floating through what she viewed as the technological version of Mordor, feeling dejected and useless. She was unable to rescue Alan from those minions of hell and that was after she failed from keeping Alan from being beamed into this nightmare and of course her first failure was with the fact that she couldn't warn Alan, Adrian and the others in time about Junior's little viral take over.

"I am pathetic," Janelle said as she glided past another building. "I can't do anything right. Some guardian spirit I turned out to be."

She looked at her arm where she was shocked. The glowing red mark that was there earlier had faded. That wasn't what got to her. She felt the pain. She felt the burning surge course through her. That was impossible. How was she able to feel pain? She was able to avoid it earlier, maybe she was becoming more accustomed to her prison. Souls that got sent here did face an eternal punishment of torture and pain.

"I do belong here, don't I?"

"No." The voice was almost shrill and sounded it had been electronically altered. It also sounded like it came from behind her and above her.

Janelle turned herself around. Floating behind her was an odd metallic ball . It seemed like a dodecahedron in shape. The silver object reflected nearly everything that glowed off it's multi faceted surface, resembling a Christmas ornament. That thing couldn't have just talked to her.

"Did you just talk?"

"Yes." It turned to a metallic golden color as it shifted into more of a diamond like shape, like something out of those Sims games.

"What are you?" Janelle asked after she overcame her shock and was greeted with silence. "Were you following me?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Again she was greeted with silence. "You don't say much, do you?"

"No." It shifted into a metallic red spiky shape.

"Is that all you can say, just yes and no?"

"Yes."

"Okay then." Janelle tilted her head to the side. She was going to have to keep her questions simple. "Where you following me long?"

"Yes."

"Are you my guide around here?"

"Yes. No."

"So that is a yes and no." She held up her hand. "Don't answer that." She glanced around here. She almost thought she saw something moving in the distance. "Have you been listening to me talk to myself?"

"Yes."

"So you have heard everything?"

"Yes."

"And you think I don't belong here?"

"Yes."

"I guess you don't understand then." She wondered how it couldn't know when it was sort of her guide. "This is the bad place. This is where they send bad people."

"No."

"This isn't Hell?"

"No. Yes."

"I'm not going to get all the answers that I need then," she said softly, more to herself. "Do you know someone who can tell me what's going on?"

"Yes."

"Can they help my friend?"

"Yes." As it answered several more objects similar to it floated into view.

"More of you?"

"Yes." The all answered in unison.

"You don't all have to talk at once," Janelle said. "So where is this person who can help."

The glowing objects arranged themselves till they formed into an arrow pointing to the northeast.

"Thank you," Janelle said as she followed them. This might turn out to be easier than she had thought.

They were not traveling long when the floating things broke up from their arrow. "No! No! No! No! No!"

Janelle took note of their alarmed tone and froze. She focused on keeping herself as smoky and non-corporeal as possible. It was just in the nick of time as something black and red sliced through her mid section. She watched as the disk spun around and returned to the one who threw it.

She turned as another came at her and she ducked, not that she really needed to. She made herself jump and float up an inch as another flew underneath her feet. There were three of the soldiers and all were throwing odd glowing disks at her.

She was never really good at athletics. She wasn't the fastest runner when she was alive and did not have what it takes when it came to kicking a ball, or swinging a bat or making a basket. The one thing she was good at was the Frisbee. When her father brought the family to ENCOM's family picnics and barbecues she would dominate over the others at Frisbee games. While one of the last to be picked for a team other sports she was the first when they did things like Frisbee golf or Frisbee baseball.

"Just have to be fast enough," Janelle said. As soon as one came close to reach she will try to catch it, will herself solid enough until she could come into contact.

The disks kept flying around her and through her and she was not able to catch one. She was good at dodging them. If she could keep herself solid enough for just long enough to grab one while dodging the others she wouldn't have to worry about getting hurt again, that is if that first time wasn't a fluke.

She grabbed one from the air and was ready to throw it at one of the armored soldiers when she felt a jolt from behind.

"Hey," she spun around to see three more guards with their long glowing red weapons pointed at her.

Something sliced through the neck of one of the guard's, causing his body to dissemble into what looked like pixilated black cubes before he faded away. The disk flew back just as a second one slammed into a disk of a guard.

Janelle stepped back to watch as that same disk slice through the chest of the guard before it returned. She tried to find who threw it but couldn't. The same two disks flew through again. One of the guards was able to duck but the second wasn't so lucky.

Janelle threw the one disk that she had grabbed at another guard. He ducked but she managed to catch it and throw it at another and killed it the same manner as the others had. She turned around to take care of the last two but the mysterious stranger had already taken care of them.

Several more came rushing towards her, or rather them now. Just as they had caught up, someone dressed entirely in black, including a black glossy helmet slid forward on his knees between two of the soldiers. As he stood up he pulled out two disks, the sharp edge caught against the bottom of the soldiers and slid up along with their owner, cutting in deep. The two dissolved like the others.

Janelle through her stolen disk at another guard and watched as the other three tried to attack the mysterious figure. They were not fast enough, and neither was she as the one ducked at the last second.

The figure leaped through the air and spun around. He angled his body to avoid coming into contact with the disks.

Janelle threw her disk again at one of the distracted guards and focused her body to be smoky enough when one of the enemies disk came through her.

That same soldier dissolved as another disk cut through him. The same disk flew back to its owner who caught it as he landed and threw his other one.

That disk cut through the throat of one of the soldiers, slicing off the head before the body was erased.

Janelle used her disk to kill the last one. After catching it she turned to thank her rescuer but he was no where to be found

"Hello?" Janelle called out. "Whoever you are, thank you."

Her rescuere jumped down in front of her. He was a tall man and like most of the people in this world his armor was adorned with glowing lights. There were not much glow on his armor, There were dashes and dots, a few lines resembling skeletal fingers on three fingers of his gloves on each hand and three squares in a row with a fourth underneath the middle that was placed on his collar, resembling the letter "T". Like the others his glow was red. He had a disk in each hand.

"Thank you," Janelle said again.

The being made an odd sound, a strange growl that was almost a purr. It was enough to cause her to take a step back.

"Are you well?" She noticed how her voice warbled. Wait a second. She was supposed to be the scary one. "You are not with them are you?"

"User," the figure said.

"No I didn't OD, I drowned." Did he know that she was a ghost?

"You are a User," the being said. His voice sounded exactly like Alan's. "You are not a program?"

"That's what they called me," Janelle said as she thought of Alan. Poor Alan, how was she going to rescue him?

The figure was panting as the lights on his suit flickered. The colors on his disks were blue-white. He slid the two disks together until they became one and he placed it on his back.

"Come with me if you want to live," he said as he held out his hand to her.

"It's a little late for that," Janelle said as she grabbed his hand. "But I will come with you. I think you are the one I'm supposed to follow."

"Yes." One of her little friends had returned.

"I guess that settles it then," she said as she followed the mystery man.

* * *

Sam leaned back as Quorra drove them in her off grid Light Runner to the barrier that separated his father's Grid from ENCOM's LAN. He didn't have to worry too much about the time. He had set the outside time for several hours outside in the real world, giving him more than enough time to help fix things from the inside.

"You are worried," Quorra said to him after a few minutes of silence. "What's on your mind?"

"I'm a little worried about Adrian and Alan," Sam said as the neared what looked like a large and continuous black wall. "Dad told me how he first came into the ENCOM system."

"I believe the laser is secure," Quorra assured him. "There was nothing to worry about."

"Secure as long as there is no Master Control Program. They said they would never create a new one."

"If there was one then it is not the fault of the employees."

"We got to find where the virus is first and in order to find that we have to find a port."

"What if they are on the corrupted side of the firewall?" Quorra asked and ran her fingers through her short dark hair.

"Then we will fight our way through the corrupted part."

The pulled up close to the wall and got out. The thing was enormous, reaching up to the clouds, keeping everything out, but something had managed to get in. They were told by a program to feel around for an access panel.

"Not here," Dad's voice carried through.

"Dad?" Sam asked.

"Keep to your left," Dad instructed. "Keep going left until you reach the part that is illuminated and find the first access panel there."

"Did you hear that?" Sam asked.

"I heard him," Quorra said before she took off running in the direction of the left.

"Hey, wait," Sam called after before he ran.

The two of them continue to run until they their legs hurt and they ran out of breath. They walked until their feet hurt, causing Sam to question why they had abandoned the runner.

"You both were too impulsive," dad's voice told them. "You thought it was going to be close."

"Got me there," Sam answered. "We should rest for a bit."

"No," Quorra said as pointed. It was distant, but she was pointed at a fake flickering glow.

Sam said nothing and followed after, quickening his pace until they both broke out into a run again and didn't stop until the passed the edge of the glow. The top and bottom of the wall was illuminated with a bright green glow.

Finding the access panel wasn't easy and it took what felt like another hour to Sam to find it.

"The access code is 59ac39ar…" She trailed off.

"an01d5," Sam finished for her.

Quorra typed in the final numbers and letters of the code and stepped back as a door opened in the wall. She jumped through.

Sam did not wait to follow after her.

* * *

Tron continued on his path. He hadn't expected to find rogue programs in the old system. Flynn had yet to tell him why. He also didn't tell him that there would be a User for him to rescue.

"Excuse me," the User said from behind him. "Where are you going?"

He stopped. "I'm not certain." Where was Flynn when he needed him?

"I-I need your help." She walked in front of him. Her movements were more like gliding. "I don't know who you are, but I really need your help." She kept pointing at her head and she seemed afraid of something. It could have been fear for her friend, or it could have been for something else.

"Is it my helmet?" Tron asked. "Does it frighten you?"

"It is a little off putting," the User said. "I can understand if you have been scarred and are a little self conscious about that." She had no Identity Disk nor any armor. She wore a gown and her hair seemed to be weighed down with water. She looked like she was swimming. There was something off about her. Her whole body seemed to flicker at times and at other times she appeared transparent.

"In my recent past I wore it to strike fear into my enemies," Tron answered. Those enemies were the ones he was supposed to have helped. "I wear it now so I won't have to look at myself, but I will take it off." He flicked at the side of his head causing his helmet to temporarily derezz itself.

The User stared at him for a few seconds with her mouth wide open. "Mr. Bradley?"

Tron blinked. That name meant something to him once. It was a name that was associated with the User who created him.

"Mr. Bradley is that really you? Did they give you some form of extreme makeover, one that gave you gymnastic skills?"

"Alan-One?"

"I'm sorry Alan. I had no idea what they did to you and you do look really good in this." She reached out with her index finger and tried to touch one of Tron's lights on his chest.

"Alan-One is the name of my User." He grabbed her hand. "Please don't touch me there."

"He's still in trouble." Her expression changed to one of fear. "We have to find him."

"Find who?"

"Alan," the User answered. "We have to find Alan Bradley."

"Alan is here?" Tron said. His User, his creator was somewhere in this system "He's here?"

"They took him to some dome shaped building." She pointed off into a different direction. "They are going to make him compete in some strange games."

"The Game Grid."

"I should of told you this sooner." She covered her face with her hands. "I am an awful person."

"No!" Several bits said at once.

"That doesn't matter," Tron told her. "What matters is we have to find him and rescue him and get you both out of the system." Whatever mission Flynn wants him to do will have to wait. The Users come first.

"What do I call you?"

"I am called Tron."

"Janelle Harper." She held out her hand.

He took it. Her hand felt cold and damp but Janelle held on firmly as they shook.


	6. The Deal

**Restitution**

_Chapter 6: The Deal_

_

* * *

_

Tron made his way to the armory dome as fast as he could. He had no idea if Alan-One was still there or they were holding him somewhere else. He only knew that he had to find him and assist both his User and Janelle back to the Real World.

Janelle had no trouble keeping up with him, although Tron wasn't sure if she was running or actually gliding. She was an odd User, but then not all of them were the same, although he had only come across two, and he tried to kill them. He fought against the Users, he nearly killed the son of Flynn in the Disk Arena and when he fought against the sentries, trying to rescue Janelle, he felt a part of Rinzler trying to return to him.

He would not think of that right now.

"Uh Tron," Janelle spoke up after being quiet for a few nanos. "How did you know I was human?"

"I watched you from several feet above you," Tron answered. He wondered if she were going to ask him about how he knew.

"You were stalking me?" She sounded somewhat surprised and annoyed.

"No, I was resting and observing my surroundings." It was true he was doing that and a little bit more. Mostly he was thinking about what had happened to the ENCOM'S system and should he get involved. There was a time when he would have gladly and proudly taken up the call to fight a corruption and free the system so the programs could speak with their Users. That was before he was defeated and repurposed. He was defeated before and altered into something he detested.

He also thought about Flynn. What would he do? What would he want Tron to do? He thought about the friends he had lost, all the ISO's and he thought about Yori. He had wondered if he should try and find her. Was she still alive? Was she waiting for him? What if she had been captured and repurposed? He was able to snap her out of mind control before but that was mild compared to what was done to him.

"And you saw me come along?" Janelle asked.

Tron nodded. "I noticed how you were dressed, your lack of an Identity Disk and the way you were looking around like you were both lost and were amazed."

"That's my second question." She held out her arms. "What is this place?"

"You have been digitized and brought into ENCOM'S system."

"System?" She blinked. "Like inside a computer?"

"Several to be exact. All computer systems that are connected to ENCOM'S LAN."

"I'm in cyberspace?"

"Yes." Several of the bits answered at once.

"Oh my god." She rubbed her eyes. "We need to find Alan so we both can take the red pill."

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

"Never mind." She shook her head. "Cyberspace, the Matrix." She spun around and looked at everything up and down. "I remember hearing stories when I was a child about this world. There was a variety of virus and digital demons and they were always taken down by-" She stopped and turned to him. Her eyes widened with recognition. "You. You are that Tron. You were that hero right?"

"It is the main protocol of all Security Programs to take down viruses." Maybe he was a hero at one time.

"But you were the one that fought and took down the dark master boss program."

"Master Control Program," Tron corrected. How did she know about that unless Flynn told her. "You knew Flynn?"

"Mr. Flynn told great stories. I had a three inch figure of you on my shelf. I had a plush doll of you. You were the reason why I was so good with a Frisbee. I practiced so I could be as good as you one day. I guess I still have a lot of training."

"I'm flattered that I was an inspiration." Tron felt himself smile but lost it almost as quickly as it formed. He was no longer the same hero. "We need to get moving." He increased his gait as they continued on their way to the armory.

"No," one of the bits said as they neared it.

The front doors were surrounded by several guards. Tron glared at them and then back at the Bits. They were too noisy. The enemy would know their location.

"Keep your Bits quiet," Tron said as he turned to face Janelle.

"What?" She asked in an offended tone. "My Bits?"

"I did not mean to offend," Tron said in a softer tone. Being a User, she might not know what he was talking about. "Those things that are floating above you. They are called Bits."

"Oh." She blinked. "Like gaming systems, first they were eight bit, then sixteen, then thirty two and then sixty four." She turned around and brought her finger to her mouth. "Guys keep quiet. I know you can do this as a team. You were great when you combined into that arrow."

The Bits bobbed in the air before they floated away into a corner where they seemed to have squeezed together.

"Thank you," Tron said and turned back to the dome. There were seven guards. He could easily take them out but he was going to need a distraction.

"I need you to do something for me, Janelle." He turned to look at her. "I need you to distract those guards."

"I can do that," she said and smiled. It was a pretty smile and yet a bit creepy. That wasn't the only thing that was off about her. She had yet to dry. In fact she looked like she had been immediately hauled out of the Sea of Simulation.

Tron crawled closer to the dome while he kept low to the ground beneath it. His helmet reformed and he removed his disk and divided it into two. He just had to wait for Janelle to do her part.

He did not have to wait long. Janelle stepped out from the wall of the building next to the dome, actually stepped through it as if it wasn't there. She appeared even more drenched than before, something he couldn't think was possible. As soon as she stepped out she fell to her hands and knees and crawled through.

"Program, identify yourself." One of the guards said as he and the others took a step towards her.

Janelle crawled towards them and stood back up, but her soaking hair was hanging down, covering her face.

Tron snuck up behind the guards. He held out his disks, ready to strike.

Janelle reached up to her hair and pulled it back. Her face was distorted as if a virus had overtaken her system, except Users didn't get viruses the same way that Programs and systems did and she did not seem infected. There were dark shadows under her clouded eyes. There were dark splotches on her face and parts of it were shriveled while other sections were puffed. There was a bit of foam dribbling out of the corner of her mouth.

The effect was enough to unnerve the guards. One of them was frightened to the point where he dropped his staff.

Tron threw his disks. They both met their target and derezzed the guards, leaving five. He caught one disk before they had time to react and grabbed the other when three of them pulled theirs from their back.

Two of the disks flew at him and he dodged both with grace while he threw his again. One guard dodged successfully but the other wasn't so lucky. The other disk was able to derezz another guard.

A fourth guard derezzed as another disk sliced through him. It wasn't one of Tron's disk's. It flew back to Janelle who caught it. Her face had returned to normal.

Tron nodded at her and threw his disks again while she threw hers. They were able to kill two more guards.

They were about to go for the third when something charged across the floor and into the guard. The thing continued until it had knocked the seventh guard off the edge.

Tron wasn't sure what it was. It was as tall as a program or User and silver in color with soft flowing blue fissures. It even has a face. It looked like the way the programs use to appear back when ENCOM's LAN and systems were new. The only difference was that this thing was more cubed shaped in head, body and limbs and its glowing eyes were a solid color.

Tron wasn't certain if he liked it or not, or if he could trust it. He slowly approached it and growled.

"Easy big guy," Janelle said as she stepped in between them. "He might be a friend."

"Yes," the thing said. It's voice sounded like several voices at once. "We are friends. I am friend. We are friend to Janelle."

"Who are you?" Janelle asked.

"What are you?" Tron asked the more important question.

"We are the bits. We have become one. I am now one."

"What, how and why?" The User asked.

"Janelle asked me too. She said sixty-four bits. We could work together. We did, I did. I am now one."

"Has this happened before?" Janelle asked.

"Rarely," Tron said. It had been several megacycles since he had last come across a Sentient Bit Mass.

"Do you have a name?"

The being shook its head. "Bits never have name, not a single one. I have no name."

"Users name programs," Tron said as he nodded towards Janelle.

"I am responsible for his existence." She stared at him and chewed her lip. "The most fitting name I can think for you is Legion."

"Legion," the being repeated and nodded.

"Do you like it?"

"Legion likes his new name."

"He speaks better than a bit but not as well as us," Tron said as he turned away. "He is no longer our concern."

"Tron, wait," Janelle said. "Legion can help."

"I doubt it," Tron said.

"Legion, wants to help." He followed them into the dome.

"Stand guard," Tron ordered. "Make sure no one comes in here. You see anything suspicious then let us know."

"Mr. Bradley?" Janelle said softly as she and Tron looked around the inside the building. There was no sign of Alan-One.

"Keep looking," Tron said as pressed a few panels on some of the tables. There had to be something, a clue of where they had taken Alan-One.

A screen on the wall in front of him flickered and flashed. The face of an unknown program appeared. He had sharp features and dark hair tied into a ponytail.

"It's that creep from before," Janelle said.

"I knew you would return here," the program said. "I am Regor."

"Where is Alan-One?" Tron demanded.

"Who is this?" Regor asked. "You look similar to my prisoner. Perhaps you are a back up program?"

"Where is he?" Tron questioned.

"Safe for now," Regor said. "But his safety depends on you. I will give you the coordinates for the Game Grid. You and the girl will show up and if you are willing to play for him instead then I shall release him."

"We will be there," Janelle said.

"My master is counting on it," Regor said as his face flickered out.

Tron focused on the coordinates that Regor provided on the table. Once he had them locked onto his memory he turned to Janelle. "You need to lose that dress."

The User looked offended at first but she nodded. "Suit up like you."

"Correct. You are also going to need your own Identity Disk. You can keep the one you have been using as a second weapon, but the Grid will not accept a program, or in your case, a User borrowing someone else's."

"Don't know how that is going to work," Janelle said.

"It's not too difficult." He went to the wall. "Similar to Flynn's system, but the games were just that. They were played for fun. The Sirens were used to suit the players up in the old days of Flynn's Grid before the corruption and they were kept on."

"Were there Sirens here?" Janelle asked as she followed him.

"I don't think so. Before Flynn created the Sirens there was a wall similar to this. I asked them what was the purpose of the Sirens and he told me because they would be fun." He shook his head. "He also told me to relax and enjoy it."

"What do I do?" Janelle asked.

"Place your body against this wall. Keep your back straight, shoulders level. Do not slouch."

"My body is providing food for the worms of L.A." She stood with her body pressed against the wall. "Like this?"

"Like that." Tron typed in the code. He only briefly stared at her to see if it is working. There was an luminescence covering her body from her neck to her toes. He went back to work on her armor. Once it was completed he glanced up at her.

She still appeared to be soaking wet. Her dark reddish brown hair was free from her half done style and hung loose were it was plastered to her back. The black material covered her torso and formed a collar at the top. It did not form slacks but rather a skirt that stopped a few centimeters above the knees. Most of her legs were clothed in boots and while her top was sleeveless she had long gloves that went up to her elbow.

"It did work," Janelle said as she stared down at herself.

"It is a little different," Tron said as he placed some of the armor onto her abdomen. He was careful to not offend her with his touch or be too rough for her. "I don't want to make you upset. Do you think you can do the rest?"

"I can," Janelle said as she placed some of her chest armor on.

Tron went back and gave the command for a new Identity Disk to be formed. After it's display popped up from the ground he gabbed it, only pausing when a flicker of blue light jumped from his hand and struck the disk, illuminating it in a soft blue color for a few nanoseconds. He went back to the User.

"I'm surprised this actually worked," Janelle said once she placed the last bit of armor on her gloves.

"Because you don't create programs?" Tron asked. Flynn had told him that not all Users created programs. Everyone had different functions, just like the programs themselves.

"It's not that," Janelle said as Tron placed the disk on her back. "It's because I'm de-" As soon as the disk had snapped into place her whole body straightened and a buzzing electrical sound was heard.

"Janelle?" Tron asked.

Janelle did not answer. Her body jerked back and forth as the same sound was heard and rings of white light traveled up and down her body. She fell onto the ground and her body spasmed.

"Janelle!" Tron grabbed her and felt a surge through his whole body until he let go. He grabbed her twitching body again and nothing happened.

"What happened?" Legion asked as he ran inside. "What happened to Janelle?"

"I don't know," Tron said as he scooped her into his arms. He knew he had to take care of her before they could face against Regor and save Alan.

* * *

Alan fumed as he paced around in his cell. There were others like him, no, scratch that. They were actual programs. He was a human suited up similar to them. They also looked like men much younger than him, men that were more fit to play the games than he was. He could toss a Frisbee but he did not have the sharp reflexes to dodge them. He could play tennis, squash, and Jai alai but he doubt he could go one on one with these guys.

He studied his reflection in one of the glass barriers that held him. Whatever they had done to him did not remove the years from him. He was a bit impressed that he had 20/20 vision now, although he felt strange not wearing any glasses. His armor was different from the others, instead of lines he had small circular dots and dashes except for what was under his neck. It looked like an incomplete triangle pointing up and there was dash in the center. It wasn't a triangle it was more like an oddly shaped letter "A". There was also a short vertical line beneath the A.

"They are coming," Regor said once he strolled up to Alan's cell, framed by two of his guards. "Your little friend and another program. He looks like you except much younger." He lowered his voice. "If you are a User then perhaps he is your program?"

"Tron?" Alan asked. He had created Tron nearly thirty years ago as a security program. He worked with Tron to help Kevin Flynn reveal the truth that Kevin had designed those games and remove the MCP. He hadn't heard that name in years. Not since the last time he heard the stories that Kevin told the children. He had worked on other programs in the past, but Tron seemed more real to him, the most likely one that would appear here. Tron was also the main figure in Flynn's stories and the fact that Kevin had called him by that name a few times.

"So that is his name." Regor smiled. "What about the pretty one?"

"You will not lay a finger on her," Alan snarled as he recalled a similar speech he gave to Ed Dillinger Junior at an office party where his son, Jet, Sam, Janelle and several other teens arrived. Janelle had recently turned eighteen at the time and while Ed had cast her lustful looks before she turned eighteen he started to fully hit on her at that time.

"Such protective nature over her. Are you by any chance related?"

"Her father is a friend of mine."

"She is a lively one."

"A bit of irony in that," Alan said and closed his eyes. "I have no idea if she is the real one. She might be a program a compilation of files all containing info about her."

"And why do you say that?"

"Because the real Janelle Harper died five years ago."

"She's dead?" Regor blinked. "How is it possible that she appeared?"

"I have no idea. She could be any number of things, an online photo album, home videos that were uploaded to Youtube, a website devoted to her, an account on one of those avatar dress up sites, but she is not the real thing." The only way for Janelle to be real was if this was her soul. It would explain why things passed through her and she could fly away.

"Whatever she is you better hope that she and her friend arrive soon."


	7. Not Alive

**Restitution**

_Chapter Seven: Not Alive_

_

* * *

_

Tron ran through the back alleys of the system as fast as he could while carrying Janelle. He did not understand why coming in contact with an Identity Disk could have hurt her like that. It never harmed programs or other Users before. Then again she seemed different. She had abilities that even Flynn didn't possess. ENCOM's Grid was also different from when he had left.

A horrifying thought entered his head. What if the same thing had happened to Alan when a disk was placed on his back? Was he lying somewhere in the corner in pain? There was no one with him to help him up or comfort him or try and heal him. They had to find him fast.

"Tron," Legion cried from behind him. The merged mass of bits kept the pace with him. "Where are we going? What happened to Janelle? What hurt Janelle?"

"I think I did," Tron said as he stared at her face. She looked like she was asleep. She did feel warmer than she had before and she was also dry

"Tron didn't hurt Janelle on purpose?" Legion asked.

"No, not on purpose." He didn't hurt a User this time.

"Tron wants to make Janelle better?"

"Yes I do."

"Legion knows where a spring is." He pointed to the right. "Was Tron looking for the spring?"

"Yes I was," Tron said. A pure healing spring would be what they needed.

"This way." Legion spun around and ran off towards the right. "Follow Legion."

While Tron did not trust this thing entirely he had no choice. He needed to find a Spring to help and heal Janelle.

"Legion, if you see any soldiers or Recognizers or tanks then duck and hide in the shadows," Tron instructed. It would do them no good if they were discovered.

They were able to come across the spring in several nanoseconds. It wasn't entirely smooth running. They had to pause and hide when Tron saw several soldiers marching in a straight line on the road above them. Tron wanted to simply take them out, to enforce the law. They were maintaining and order, but it wasn't Clu's order. He forced himself to snap out of that thought. Users came first and Janelle was a User.

There were few other programs near the spring when they arrived. They were regular programs with minimal circuitry. All of them seemed to be just stretched out, some with their hands behind their heads, some seemed to be asleep and a few others were talking with each other. None of them took notice of Tron or Janelle. A few of them did sit up from where they were lounging when they got a good look at Legion.

"Are these programs friends?" Legion asked as Tron laid Janelle down next to the spring.

"Not friends," Tron said as he got a better look at them. Not a single one of them was red or orange. "They are not enemies either. We leave them be. Legion, I need you to hold her mouth open. Please be gentle."

"Legion will be careful." The mass of bits gently held Janelle's head and opened her mouth.

Tron cupped his hands together and lowered it into the spring and scooped out some of the glowing liquid. He brought it over to Janelle and let it trickle down into her mouth. He repeated until Janelle shook.

She sputtered and sat up. After she opened her eyes she smacked her lips together.

"You are going to need more," Tron said as he brought her more. "Drink this."

Janelle sucked down the liquid. Her eyes widened as she licked her lips and wiped her mouth.

"Janelle feel better?" Legion asked.

"Yeah," the User said. "What is that?"

"Energy," Tron answered. "Pure liquid energy."

"It tastes like Seven Up." Her eyes widened. "It has a flavor and I can taste it. I can taste it. I can taste."

"It does have a nice flavor," Tron agreed. Once he was certain that Janelle will be fine he was going to take a few sips himself.

"I can taste again."

"Again?"

"I haven't tasted anything since that daiquiri on the ship." She closed her eyes. "It was the last thing I drank before I died."

"Died?" Tron wasn't sure he heard her right.

"I guess you can say my body derezzed."

"Janelle not derezzed," Legion said.

"My lifeforce has," Janelle said softly. "I died five years ago." She pointed to herself. "What you see is my spirit, my soul, or in other words I'm a ghost."

"What are those?" Legion asked.

"They are all the same," Janelle explained. "I guess you can say they are the true essence of a User. The body is a shell and the souls are inside. Souls are not solid. They, or should I say we are abstract, non-corporeal. We can go where we want."

"Souls can walk through walls and fly?" Tron asked. Everything made sense.

"Yes. Out there in the Real World I was invisible and inaudible. It took a lot for me to appear when I want to and that was only for a few seconds." Seconds took a long time but in the Real World they could be the same as nanoseconds. "I can see and hear, but I couldn't taste, or smell, or feel. It also took a lot to move things or make myself look horrifying."

"It's easier here?"

She nodded. "Things are different here. I can't explain it."

"Did derezzing hurt Janelle?" Legion asked.

"No." Janelle smiled at him. "It didn't hurt."

"Would it be rude of me if I asked how it happened?" Tron asked.

"No it wouldn't," Janelle said and sighed. "We were on a large ship. The post graduation cruise for us Berkley students. Class of 2005." She held up her fist. "Whoo." She lowered her hand. "I needed this drink for a toast. We were toasting our futures. The man I loved, Adrian, he was going to start working for ENCOM. My friends Kathleen and Heather were going to get teacher certifications and I was going to continue my education for Veterinary school."

"School for veterinaries?" Legion asked.

"Veterinarians," Janelle corrected. "They are like doctors but for pets, animal companions for Users."

Tron nodded. He knew what animals and pets were thanks to Flynn.

"To the future," Janelle said and held up her hands as if she were holding a glass. "May all our dreams come true." Tears had formed in her eyes. "After the drink we danced and I saw the sky. I just wanted to get closer to the edge so I can just stare at the stars and wish and dream."

"Did you lose your balance?"

"Not quite, there were other more rowdy and more drunk people on board. One lost their balance and bumped into me. It was enough to send me over. Cruise ships are pretty tall and the surface of the water was hard enough to knock me out. They hauled me out and tried to resuscitate me. I watched from outside my body, but they couldn't bring me back." She brushed away her tears.

"Janelle's dream never came true," Legion said sadly.

"My friends did," Janelle said. "Adrian is climbing the ladder at ENCOM, Kathleen is teaching children with special needs and Heather is teaching English to high school students while she tries to get published. My little sister graduated from Cal-Arts and is working for a digital animation studio and my little brother is at Yale."

"Do you miss them?" Tron asked.

"I was always able to watch over them up until two years ago," Janelle answered. "Then I somehow became tethered to ENCOM. I didn't cry when I died. I only cried when I saw everyone that I loved had cried. They were all at my funeral and I try to watch over them, now I can only watch those that work at ENCOM."

"We both help the Users. I fight for them."

"I watch over them."

"You watch over Alan?" Tron asked.

"Of course. I watched over them all. I help the good and I scare and prank the bad ones, but I made sure everyone was safe and no one got hurt." Her eyes widened. "I can tell Alan that Ed Dillinger Junior is behind this. We got to find him. We have to save him. I failed to keep him from being sent here but we can save him."

"I will not fail him," Tron said. He would not betray or fail another User again. "We have to be strong." He kneeled back down at the edge of the energy spring and drank from it. He looked up to see that Janelle and Legion were also drinking.

* * *

Sam could not believe he was going to take a Sailer past the firewall and over the sea to the corrupted area. He and Quorra should have stayed in the Codebreakers club and waited for the mysterious Arc. Many of the programs in the free area had mentioned that he was the one who was recruiting programs that were willing to fight back and have them join his group of freedom fighters.

The only reason why Sam hadn't sought out this guy was because his father told him to go to the corrupted area. They were to join up with a friend of Sam's father. He had no idea who this friend was.

"Sailer is coming into dock," Quorra said as the simulation was coming into view.

"Not a whole lot waiting to board it." He noticed there were only a few workers at the platform, waiting to anticipate the travelers.

Several programs stepped off and were being infiltrated by the platform workers. They were asked several questions and had to give several passwords before they were able to continue on.

"It's our turn," Quorra said once the last program stepped off and walked passed the firewall security. "Excuse me, we need to ask permission for passage."

"I'm sorry but no one is going to the corrupted area," one of the platform workers said.

"We are," Quorra told him. "We have to get into there."

"Why would you want to?" The second worker asked.

"To fight the system," Sam answered. "We are going in to fight whoever decided to set up camp in there."

"Are you crazy?" The first worker asked.

"No I'm a User, but then again that's probably the same thing."

"A User?" The first worker asked. "Here?"

"Everyone is claiming to be a User these days," the second worker said.

"I'll prove it." He turned to Quorra and held out his hand. "Q, I need you to show them what I'm made of."

"You know I hate doing this to you." She removed the disk from her back and grabbed his hand. She cringed while she used the sharp edge of her disk to cut his finger. "Sorry."

"Don't be." He fought back against revealing that he was in pain. "It's fine." He turned back to the platform workers and held up his bleeding finger. "See?"

Both workers stared at Sam's finger as a drop of blood fell from it.

"Well I'll be," the second one said. "An actual User."

"Can we have passage?" Quorra asked.

"Sure," the first one said. "Just watch yourself. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to a User over there."

"Don't you worry," the second one told his coworker. "Users are the only ones who can save us now."

Sam smiled as he and Quorra stepped aboard the Sailer. He sure hoped that worker was right.

* * *

Osiris leaned back against his chair as he reviewed the visuals from ENCOM's security system. The image on the screen showed the two men in the laser lab. The younger one was sitting there, typing away and insulting him. The other was standing over his shoulder, not one had noticed that he had ordered several programs to turn on the laser.

"Halt." He raised his hand as he gave the command for the screen to freeze. That was when the temperature had started to drop. He hadn't given the order for the temperature to plummet and the Users hadn't altered it either. "Proceed."

The visual continued. The laser had turned on. The older man had turned around. At the last second he pushed the younger one out of the way and was the one who became digitized instead.

"Stop again," Osiris commanded when the older man was struck. The man was illuminated but he wasn't alone, he couldn't see if two Users were brought inside. "Go back frame by frame." He watched as the screens changed until he saw what he was looking for. He saw the highlighted figure of a woman, almost a green silhouette.

"Master," Regor 's voice was behind him.

"How are we at cracking through the protected border?" Osiris asked.

"Not so well," Regor said. "The firewall's security has increased recently. No one can get through."

"And the portal to the laser?" Osiris still wanted to bring that other User in and have him run around the games as punishment.

"Every time we try to go back there is always some resistance."

"Same orders as before."

"Attack, derezz and those who survive we rectify."

"Precisely," Osiris confirmed with a nod. "I may have found something, if what you said about the female User is true."

"Master even if you capture her you won't be able to reprogram her. She is a User."

"There is always a way to change the scheme and alter the mood," Osiris said. "Users can become corrupted."

"I have the full name of the other User," Regor said. "His name is Alan Bradley."

"That information should be useful," Osiris said and turned to another panel in his throne room. "Bring up the information on the User Alan Bradley."

The screen brought up the image of the man that Osiris brought over. Facts appeared instantly. They revealed where the man was born and what year, when he joined ENCOM, who he married and about their son.

"I brought him in," Osiris said an amused tone. His User will be pleased.

"We might see his program in there," Regor said.

"Program?" Osiris blinked. "What Program?"

"There was a program with the girl. He looked like Mr. Bradley but younger."

"Younger?" Osiris turned back to the screen. "Show me an image of Alan Bradley when he first started to work at ENCOM." When an image of a much younger Alan Bradley appeared he turned to his minion. "Is this what he looked like?"

"That is him."

Osiris nodded and turned back to the screen. "Show me the first programs that he created." He read the names. "Program called Tron. Show me him." The image showed a program completely clad in white armor and glowing blue circuitry. "So that is how they used to look."

"That is him," Regor said. "But not like that." He pointed to the four pixels on the Program's chest. "He has that, but just on his collar."

"I see." Osiris read on. "He fought for the Users, a warrior. He fought against and helped destroy the MCP and left megacycles later around the User date of 1983."

"He is back. No doubt to fight against you, Master."

"That remains to be seen. We should keep an eye open for him."

"What is your further command sir?" Regor asked.

"I want you to proceed to the Arena," Osiris commanded. "Let me know when they have arrived."

"As you wish, Master." Regor said with a bow.

"Welcome back, Tron," Osiris said. "This isn't your home anymore." He turned back to the visuals. "Show me the security images through out the building." He sat back down in his chair. "Where are you hiding little User?"


	8. Game Arena

**Restitution**

_Chapter 8: Game Arena_

_

* * *

_

The arena itself was not far away from the armory dome, but there was some distance between it and the energy spring. Tron hated the fact that they were restricted to simply run on foot. Tron half wished he could take out one of the Recognizers. The three of them could possibly fly to it. He also wished he had access to a light jet or a tank or runner.

"How are you holding up?" Tron asked when they neared the outer wall.

"I move pretty well for a dead woman," Janelle said. "That energy liquid was quite a boost."

"Energy heals programs. It keeps us healthy and strong. It works on Users, even the ones who are no longer alive it seems."

"Works on Legion," Legion said.

"Tastes refreshing and it doesn't do a number on your stomach," Janelle said. "Better than Red Bull or Amp, then again my stomach is non functioning." She rubbed her abdomen. "At least I think it is."

"We will talk about that later," Tron said. They could enter through the front entrance but those were not for players of the game. Those were for the audience and if they did get through the guards will keep them from searching for Alan. He wanted to call out the program in charge so he can speak with him.

"What's the plan?" Janelle asked.

"We climb the wall." Tron turned to Legion. "We need for you to stay here."

"Legion wants to help," the mass of Bits said.

"You can give us a boost," Janelle said. "Or Tron a boost. I can just float up." She frowned. "Why didn't I think of that in the first place?" She smacked the side of her head. "All this time I could have just floated up through the system, out of the machine and into the real world. I am so stupid."

"No you are not," Tron told her. "You are out of your element and you have been through a series of traumatic experiences."

"Tron is right," Legion said. "Janelle is not stupid. Janelle thought she was in bad place."

"I did and there was the fact that I did receive a few nasty jolts. It has been proven that a certain amount of electric shocks, those that are not fatal of course can alter brain function. It had been used on psychiatric patients in the past and I remember in some classes that it is used on those with severe depression because the shocks cause the neurotransmissions of dopamine and endorphins ." She shook her head. "Less medical and more physical and action. I do wonder if I will be microscopic. I can just grow once I'm out. I have altered my appearance before." She looked up. After a few seconds she raised her arms, then flapped them, then she jumped and flapped her arms.

"You are going to attract unwanted attention," Tron told her. He had no idea what she was trying to do.

"It's not working." She stood on her toes. "I'm not floating or flying. I can't fly."

"We'll figure out what is wrong with you later."

"What is wrong with me?" Janelle asked in a shocked and saddened tone. "Everything is wrong."

Great that was just great. Tron didn't mean to insult her. Was that a sign that Rinzler was resurfacing?

"Tron made Janelle sad," Legion said and despite the limitations on his facial feature he managed to scowl at Tron. "Legion thinks nothing is wrong with Janelle."

"Thank you, Legion," Janelle said as she placed her hand on Legion's hand. "I don't think he really meant those words. He's just stressed. He's worried about Alan as much as I am."

"Exactly," Tron said. That was a believable excuse. Time was running out for Alan. "Legion, I could use that boost."

For once Legion didn't say anything has he held his hands together.

Tron placed a foot in it and allowed the mass to hoist him up. It was a good hoist, sending him rising a couple of feet before he grabbed onto the wall. Once he felt a good grip on the walls he reached down and held out his hand.

"Be gentle, please," Janelle said as she was given a similar boost. She grabbed onto the wall and nearly slipped.

Tron grabbed her and helped steady her until she was able to scale up the side. He climbed up after her. He watched to make sure she wouldn't slip and would catch her if she fell. Neither she nor he had any trouble climbing up to the top.

"These games are dangerous," Tron reminded her as they stood up and looked down into the arena. It was similar to the one from Flynn's Grid and that meant that what was once for fun had been turned into something brutal. He closed his eyes as he remembered battling against other program's as Rinzler.

"I understand and I can hold my own," Janelle said. "I'm pretty damn good with a disk or Frisbee. It was the reason why I always got to be Sailor Moon when my friends and I would dress up and pretend to be Sailor Soldiers. That and because I'm pretty damn short." She waved her hand over her head.

Tron nodded. He was not familiar with these Sailor Soldiers and he never commented on her height. She was almost a foot shorter than him.

"So how do we get their attention?" Janelle asked as the sound of footsteps was heard on their sides. "I guess we don't need to."

Tron felt his helmet form over his head as he turned to face the nearest guards. His first instinct was to go for his disks but he held back.

"Program, identify yourself," one of the guards demanded.

"Don't you butt faces ever say anything new?" Janelle asked.

"Where is Regor?" Tron asked.

"Tell him the one he is looking for has arrived," Janelle said. "And her name is Janelle."

One of the guards turned to the others and spoke with them silently before he turned back to them. The other solders ran off.

"He will be informed."

Only a few nanoseconds had passed before a Recognizer flew towards them. The platform lowered towards where they stood. There were several more guards, along with Regor and another program in armor that had the same blue lights as Tron had, even the fingers on his gloves, the only difference was the symbol under his collar. No, this wasn't another program. He looked like Tron, but older and aged like Flynn had.

"Alan-One," Tron whispered.

"Mr. Bradley," Janelle said. "Let him go."

"Do you I look like a fool?" Regor asked.

"No," Janelle said. "You look like an asshole."

Regor smirked. "What a nice mouth you have. You and your program friend have both agreed to play in this game. Step aboard."

Tron could not stop staring at Alan as he stepped aboard the Recognizer. That was his User, his creator. He had dreamed about meeting him for many cycles. Tron sighed, not now and not ever. He did not deserve to meet his creator, not after what he had had done.

"My master is very interested in you," Regor said to Janelle. "Not so much about your friend, even if he is a bit of a legend here."

"Your master was created by Ed Dillinger Junior," Janelle accused and turned to Alan. "He's the one who caused the whole viral infection. Junior created it along with some other guy who uploaded it from the outside."

Alan shook his head. "I thought he was different. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." He even sounded like Tron.

"Your User conversation bores me," Regor said. "What we have done is set right what once went wrong. We are restoring a form of order. You two were not able to prevent this, not at all but when we-"

"Ess Tee Eff You," Janelle's voice took on a growl. Regor had pushed her to spout out letters, some form of code that Tron did not recognize. "Four little letters, STFU."

The guards understood the letters as did Regor who looked shocked that she would dare to utter them to him, Even Alan seemed to understand what she was saying, but that made sense. Alan was a User who wrote programs.

"You will learn to mind your tongue," Regor said as he waved a finger in her face. "When the master arrives."

The Recognizer flew them over to the middle of the arena and lowered itself while the center of the stage rose. Regor kept staring up while Tron stared at Alan and Alan stared at Janelle.

"How," Alan said after a few seconds. "How is it possible that you are here, Janelle? Are you a program?"

"I can assure you that I'm not, Mr. Bradley." She held out her hand to him. When Alan grabbed it the tears returned to her eyes and she wrapped her arms around him.

"My what a touching moment," Regor said in a mocking tone.

Tron turned to him and growled, causing the minion to gulp. He stared at the raised part of the stage and wondered why they hadn't lowered to it.

"Ah," Regor said after a couple of nanoseconds. He was staring at the sky again "Here he comes."

An aircraft flew into the sky, highlighted by golden yellow light. It did not land, but merely hovered over the stage.

"We can proceed," Regor said as the platform lowered. He turned to Tron. "What was your name again?"

"Tron."

"Tron?" Alan repeated. "My Tron?"

"He does look like a younger version of you," Janelle said.

They stepped off the platform and onto the raised stage which lowered. Tron looked up around him. Everything was coming back and that was what frightened him. Flynn, where are you?

"Everything in place," Regor instructed as he, two guards and Alan stepped back to a different part of the stage. Guards took Janelle to another part of the stage. The lights changed dividing the center into two separate stages with another area in front that rose several feet.

Five warriors clad in black with bluish white circuitry rose from the stage below and surrounded Tron. He noticed that where Janelle stood that five female game players rose from the floor and surrounded her.

"Greetings Programs," Regor said. "We have a two for one tonight. Not only will you get the see the men perform, but also the ladies, and if that is not enough then our lord and master, Osiris is watching from above."

The crowd broke out in applause until Regor held up his hand again.

"Thank you, thank you. We have two new men and three new women." He pointed to where the ladies stood. "In spot number three we have Falee, in number four, Aria, and in number one we have Janelle." He waited for the applause to die down again and pointed to the men's area. "In the number five spot we have Cipher and in the number three spot we have someone who isn't quite new to the games. He has been here before. I am pleased to reintroduce Tron."

Gasps surrounded the stage followed by a loud roar of applause. Several others were shouting.

"Somebody is a fan favorite," Regor said. "Now remember the rules."

"What are the rules?" Janelle asked.

"Very simple," Regor answered. "Survive. Now begin."

Tron removed the disk from his back and divided it into two. He threw them at the other players, aiming to take out their disks and try not to derezz them. He didn't want to cause them any harm. They were innocents, taken offline and used for the game. He was able to dodge with perfect grace and able to destroy one disk.

He felt himself at ease as he got into the game. When he was first created and made to play in on the game grid he had to fight for his life. His abilities has a highly developed security program had made him a natural and with every win his skills had grown sharper. When Flynn brought him over to the new system, Tron still played the games, but they were for fun and he enjoyed it. They were nothing but a form of friendly competition until Clu took over.

One of the other player's disk's grazed his shoulder. He growled out in pain, a pain that he knew all too well. He glared at the one who threw it at him.

The man glared back as he caught his disk, ready to throw it at him again. The circuitry of his armor blazed brighter with blue light. He was the enemy; light blue was his enemy.

Tron threw a disk at the one that attacked him with such speed that his opponent did not have time to duck.

The roar of the crowd grew louder. Were they cheering him on? They had to be, they always did. He was their favorite. Everybody loved him; everybody loved Rinzler. He stared at those who opposed him. There were three others. He will take them out for the crowd. Clu will be pleased with him. He dodged another attack and killed another while a second program took out a third now it was just down to two.

The other player was fierce and fast. He had great reflexes but he was no match for Rinzler. Rinzler blocked the opponent's disk and pounced on him. With both disks in his hand he slashed down, cutting through his chest, causing him to derezz.

The crowd was cheering him, shouting his name. No, the were saying a different name. They were calling him Tron and shouting it over and over again.

"I am Tron," Tron said as he stared down at himself. Orangish red lights flickered back to blue-white. "Not again." He dropped his disks as his helmet disappeared. He grabbed his head.

"What are you waiting for?" Regor shouted. "Finish the game."

"I already have," Janelle said as she stood over the other remaining game player. "It's over."

"Kill her."

"No." She placed her disk on her back. "I refuse to play like that. It's insane, it's barbaric."

"It's how you win," Regor said.

"Then I forfeit," Janelle said and turned to help the other player up who smiled in gratitude at her. "I may have my poltergeist moments but I never did hurt anyone."

Regor stormed from his section of the stage and marched right up to the females. He smacked the remaining program way from Janelle and removed his disk. He slashed down across the program's throat, causing her to derezz.

"That is how it is done."

"What the hell?" Janelle asked. "Why did you do that? Why?"

"That is the way the game is run. Only one survivor."

"Well you screwed up. There are no survivors."

"There is you and that is all that matters." He reached for her.

Janelle smacked his hand away. "You're disgusting." She punched him in the chest and would have punched again if the guards hadn't surrounded her and held her back.

The helmet reappeared on Tron as he grabbed his disks and ran towards them. He stood in between Janelle and Regor. He did not notice as the several guards had approached him, or Alan who also ran up to them.

"Let them go," a mysterious voice said. A Program strode up to them dressed in a black suit and wore a long coat trimmed in glowing gold. He had dark hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Edward Dillinger Junior," Alan said through clenched teeth.

"That is the name of my User," the program said. "I am Osiris."

"You should bow before the Master," Regor said.

"Now, now," Osiris said as he waved a finger. "Where are our manners? These three our newcomers, or at least two of them are."

Tron only stared at Osiris for a few seconds before he looked around the Arena. He found the entrance way from the rest of the area. They had to escape through there. He had to get the Users out of here. He looked back at both Osiris and Regor. They both had batons strapped to their belts as did several of the other guards.

"We might send the two Users back," Osiris said as he paced in front of them. "I am pleased and disappointed with your performance my dear." He stopped in front of Janelle. "I can admire your strategy, but I was hoping for more."

"You wanted me to kill?" Janelle asked. "I refuse to kill."

Osiris pursed his lips. "I may change your mind about that. I have plans for you, big plans. You and Tron here will be my champions." He reached out to stroke her hair.

Janelle slapped his hand away. "Don't you dare touch me."

"I will do more than that," Osiris said and reached out for her again.

Tron sliced his disks through the two guards closest to him and managed to grab their batons before they fully derezzed. "Alan-one, Janelle," he tossed them both to the Users and swiped another from a third guard. "Follow me." He ran and leaped. The baton in his hands split and a lightcycle formed around it.

"Stop them," Osiris shouted as the sound of two more light cycles being formed were heard.

"Follow me," Tron ordered as he drove his cycle to the entrance. "Janelle get Alan out of here."

"I'll try," Janelle said as she continued to ride. "How are you holding, up Mr. Bradley?"

"I can handle this just fine," Alan said. "Don't know how I will be able to handle anything more that regular riding."

"Keep going," Tron urged. He veered his bike to the right and turned around. He saw several more guards driving towards him. "Lets see how a few old fashioned skills hold up." He rode back to the guards and veered right at the last second. He heard a crash. He circled around.

Two more guards were driving towards him. At the last second the one on the right turned creating a jet stream in front of Tron.

Tron leaped at the last second, and jumped over the stream allowing his bike to hit the water like wall. His light cycle derezzed, leaving the baton to fly through the air. Tron caught it and rerezzed his bike before hitting the ground.

One of the other two guards had caught up with him and rode along side him.

"Come on bit brain," Tron muttered. "Try and follow me." He drove around in a wide circle and looped around. He rode up to the nearest stream and changed angles. Once he heard the familiar crash he smiled. There was only one to go.

The other rider was persistent and skilled. He kept dodging when Tron did. It was almost impossible to lose him.

"I'm going to have to fight dirty," Tron grumbled as he lead the guard to the nearest jet stream. He increased his speed and at the right moment and distance he mad his bike jump. As they sailed over the wall he removed his disk from his back and looked over his shoulder.

The sentry had jumped. His bike didn't make it but he had and he had grabbed the baton as he made his descent.

"Not this time." Tron threw his disk and watched as it sliced through the rider before it returned to him. A part of him hated having to do that. The other rider was skilled. If things were different and the games were just for fun then he would have been a worthy opponent, someone Tron would have respected and even formed a friendship with.

Now was not a time to dwell on that. He deleted the thought from his mind and rode through the entranceway. His number one priority was to make sure the Users were safe.


	9. Regroup

**Restitution**

_Chapter Nine: Regroup_

_

* * *

_

It had been a few years since Alan had last ridden a motorcycle and the controls of this light bike was similar to the cycles he rode back in the Real World. It took only a few seconds for him to become familiar with the maneuvers.

"Like a bicycle," Alan cried out as he and Janelle turned the corner on the street. They came to a stop.

"No it's not," Janelle said. Her voice was shaky. "Not like riding a bicycle. It's much more exciting than that."

"I meant it was like when you haven't ridden one in a while and it comes back to you."

"Yeah. I guess. Would you believe that was my first time on a bike?"

He shrugged. "Not bad for a first timer."

A third motorcycle pulled up next to them. It was the man, or program that Alan had watched battle in the male arena. That man seemed to have started out with Janelle's tactic of just destroying the other disks but something had changed inside him. The colored lights on his armor had turned red and he played to kill. His lights where white again.

"You made it," the program said. He had Alan's voice. "I wasn't sure if you knew how to ride."

"I haven't for a while," Alan answered. "Just had to get back in the saddle."

"When did you learn?" the program asked.

"Long time ago," Alan said as he remembered when Flynn taught him how to ride. "A friend showed me how."

"Mr. Flynn?" Janelle asked.

"He was the one," Alan nodded. "He taught me and I taught Sam."

"Son of Flynn," the third member of their party said. "Flynn was my friend."

"Both of our friends." Alan studied him. The program sounded like him and was the same height as him. They even have the same kind of armor and minimal amount of lights. There were the curve like dashes on each side of his chest, the two dashes that were close together at his mid section, the circular lights that were on the more central part of his chest, on his abdomen, the opposite side of his elbows and on his knees. The only difference was the formation of lights near the center of his upper chest. Instead of an "A" with a number one underneath there were four squares in the shape of a "T". "They said your name was Tron?"

"Correct."

"My Tron?" Alan waited for the program to answer. He spoke again when Tron didn't reply. "Are you the Tron I created nearly thirty years ago or not?"

Tron lowered his head. "We should go before they find us."

"We got to go back for Legion," Janelle said.

"Who is Legion?" Alan asked. "Another program?"

"Sort of," Janelle said. "He's a friend of ours."

"He's a sentient merger of bits," Tron answered. "We'll go back for him. Stay close to me."

Alan rode his bike close behind Tron and made sure Janelle kept up with them. He wondered why Tron was not answering his questions, why would he not want to speak with Alan, his creator? Did Tron hate him for some reason? He wanted to speak with Tron to see what was wrong, but he also wanted to know more about this Janelle program.

They were not able to reach the place this Legion was located. There were several soldiers milling about trying to capture someone who was trying to fight back. Through the small crowd, Alan could see a silver figure with a humanoid face as it lashed at it's oppressors

"Legion," Janelle gasped as she got off her bike.

"Stay where you are," Tron ordered.

"They have Legion. We have to help him."

"We can't just rush off into the fray. We will get caught."

"But we can't just leave him." She finished her dismount.

"Janelle, stop," Alan commanded. He couldn't believe he was addressing he by that name. "Tron has a point."

"We have to go," Tron said as he pointed to the sky. Another of the large flying aircraft was heading their way.

"We will rescue your friend," Alan told her.

Janelle frowned and she had a layer of tears on her eyes, but she hopped back onto her bike.

The three of them started the power and rode away from the area.

"Follow me," Tron instructed and turned his bike to the left.

Alan followed after, not sure where they were going or what they were going to do, but the one thing he wanted was some answers.

* * *

Regor swallowed deeply. His master was not going to be pleased with the fact that the Users and Tron had escaped. It was bad enough that the security programs of the resistance had kept the firewall strong. Osiris was very displeased with the fact that the User, Janelle had rejected him in the fashion that she had.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered as he knocked at the door of his master's private chamber.

"You may enter," Osiris said in a cool and low tone. He was watching a view screen of a black and white images with text. Those visuals came from a News Site. What was Osiris doing by accessing the Web?"

Regor entered and bowed before his lord. "I bring you bad news."

"Let me guess," Osiris said. He did not turn around to look at him. "You let them escape."

"I'm sorry master," Regor said. He knew it would be foolish to argue with his leader about semantics. He knew he did not let anyone get away. "We have a captured an SBM."

"I have little concern for those, even if they are indeed rare."

"He mentioned two of the names," Regor said. He was proud the caught one that was no more than 64 bits merged together. "He kept on repeating Janelle and Tron."

"He would know where they have gone," Osiris said.

"I know you kept a close eye on the girl," Regor said. "But you should have seen the Program named Tron. He is a well skilled combat warrior. Far more powerful than any security program that we already have. I'd wager he is even more powerful than a security program of the enemy."

Osiris finally smiled. "He would be worthy addition to our side. Do you think he can be repurposed?"

"I know he can," Regor said with complete confidence. He had watched as Tron got lost in the game and how the color of his lights had shifted color.

"This is fascinating," Osiris said as he turned back to the visuals. "The User Janelle Harper is dead, has been for quite some time."

"She's derezzed?" Regor asked. "That was what the other User had said."

"Drowned is what the report says," Osiris confirmed.

"She seemed alive to me."

"Agreed." Osiris nodded. "Show me the ENCOM security tapes. The same images again and at the same speed."

Regor watched the screen as what had to be a User get up and leave a room. The User looked like he was walking but he moved at much faster speed. The light outside the window dimmed as the image had static lines ride up now and then. Another User appeared in the doorway for a few Nanoseconds and left.

"Stop," Osiris ordered. "Go back to frame 1675." The screen visual rewound itself until the User appeared again. "Stop." The image froze with a female User standing in the doorway. "Look Familiar?"

"Almost," Regor said as he studied the figure. She wasn't very tall and she did have dark red hair, was wearing a purple gown and looked dripping wet.

"Go in closer," Osiris commanded. The image of the User enlarged until she became more recognizable. "Now?"

"The derezzed User," Regor said when he recognized her.

"She was in that doorway and gone within only a few nanoseconds," Osiris said. "No User can move that fast, no living one, unless she wasn't visible for most of the time."

"Users can't do that, can they?"

"Not the living ones." Osiris stood up and walked away from his chair. "Not everyone believes in Users. From what we have learned from the Web we found out that Users have their beliefs and many may doubt the existence of many things that others believe in." He stopped in front of Regor. "I believe we have come across one of them."

Regor nodded. He wasn't sure what he had just heard, but he did not want to appear like a fool.

"You do not understand what I am talking about?" The master placed his hand through his bangs.

"I must admit that I do not, master."

Osiris sighed. "I had thought so." He cleared his throat. "What we have in the system is a spiritual entity. What many believe is the only remains of a User after they have been killed, their soul. A free floating soul has several names, spirit, phantom, phantasm, specter, but the most popular name is ghost."

"Why would you want a dead User?"

"She did not feel dead and she had abilities that would benefit us. She may not be solid out in the User world but here she is. Out there she is invisible, but here she is seen and most importantly, I can see her and I will have her."

"If she is unseen outside then how did she show up on camera?"

Osiris grabbed his forehead. "She was only on camera for a few seconds. I have already told you that. I should be thankful that your User has some intelligence."

"Max Ricker is one of the most intelligent and cunning Users out there," Regor said, his voice full of pride. "He has hacked into many systems and has never been caught."

Osiris nodded. "Do you know what your orders are?"

"Seek and find Tron and the Users." Regor said.

"Good, you are dismissed."

Regor gave him one last bow before he left to begin the hunt.

* * *

While they rode, Alan took the time to enjoy the view as they traveled through streets. Cyberspace really was a place of beauty. He should have listened to Flynn. He might have been able to rescue him from the Grid earlier. He could had made a difference twenty years ago.

"So we are heading back to the energy spring," Janelle said as they drove into a cavern.

"Energy spring?" Alan asked.

"It's good for what ails you from what I've seen," she answered.

They parked their bike next to the bank of an underground pond. As soon as they had dismounted the bikes disappeared leaving behind the batons. Alan watched as Tron clipped his against his leg and followed suite.

The water was bright aquamarine in color and shone with a beautiful luminescence. Alan disembarked from his bike and watched as Tron and Janelle crouched near the edge and brought up fistfuls of the water to their heads.

Might as well give it a try. Alan could see what this Tron looked like but as he crouched down next to the program he saw that Tron had his helmet back on. Alan took a few sips. The liquid was refreshing and sweet. He took another drink. This time he felt a perk in his body, more powerful than a good nights rest, a cup of strong coffee, and a hearty meal put together.

"Too bad we can't get some of this out there," Janelle said once she was done. "It could serve as a miracle cure all."

"Who are you," Alan asked her. She looked and sounded like Janelle Harper, but she couldn't be her. It was time he got some answers.

"Mr. Bradley it is me," Janelle said. "I'm Janelle Marie Harper."

"You are a program that looks and sounds like her."

"You never got rid of that old air popper in your office," the female program said. "I lost my first tooth on the popcorn made from it years ago. I know that annoying feeling of bits of popcorn getting stuck between your teeth and rubbing against your gum. It's stuck right there when you can't get it out with a fingernail and it is so annoying. You try with a toothpick and then you use dental floss, which is what you should use in the first place."

"I know that feeling," Alan said slowly. She did not talk or sound like a program to him.

"Toffee and Butterfingers taste so good but they get stuck in your teeth. I usually eat them with an apple because, hey nature's toothbrush. It tends to get that gunk out. If I were going to eat fruit and candy it would be strawberries dipped in chocolate, no wait, strawberries dipped in Nutella. That was the best stuff ever. I miss tasting it."

She grabbed at his hands and stared deep into his eyes. "You were wearing a hunter green tie to my funeral. It wasn't too dark or too bright. It was ninety degrees that day and you prayed in hopes that where I went to would be comfortable"

"Yes I was and I did."

"At my casket you whispered 'I miss you, little spark,' and you asked why did I have to go." She closed her eyes. "I didn't want to go."

Alan could no longer keep back the tears. He pulled her into his arms and held her.

"You still wear Gray Flannel."

"How?" He asked. "How is this possible?"

"I never left. My spirit never left. I'm the ghost of ENCOM."

"That was, I mean that is you? Why are you haunting us?"

"I wasn't haunting you. I was watching over you. I only haunt and scare and have my poltergeist moments with jerks like Junior. I was always watching over you, Daddy, Adrian and now Sam." She held out her arms. "It takes a lot but I can move objects and make myself appear for a few seconds visually, even on camera."

"Were you the one controlling the temperature before we were brought over here?" Alan asked. Things were starting to click. "You were trying to warn us."

"I tried to keep you from being brought here. I tried to warn you of what Junior had planned."

"I'm starting to see what he hoped to accomplish," Alan said as the pieces fell into place. "He was hoping to use it as a cover so he could steal some important files, just like his father did, or he unleashed something that only he had the means of taking care of. He'll remove the corruption, everything will go back online and he will look like a big hero."

"That's it?" Janelle sounded like she knew there was more to the story.

"He will have the backing of the board. Most of the people there do not like me. I have your father and Karen to back me up and Sam, but after this he will appear as the kid who does not have any idea of what he's doing. Young Dillinger will have everyone's votes. The will listen to him more and more and I'll be voted out same as Sam, and possibly your father and Karen."

"I learned CEO's could be voted out of power thanks to shareholders, even powerful ones like Michael Eisner." She sighed. "I wish I could have found a way to communicate with you sooner."

"You wrote that note."

"Not much good that did."

"Don't say that," Alan told her. He had yet to let her go from his embrace. "Because of you we were able to save one third of the system, because of your warning Adrian is still out there." His eyes widened. "Adrian is still out there. If we can get a message to him he can upload his software to the system."

"That could work," Janelle agreed. "Tron can show us—"

"No." Tron had been silent until now. "I'm going to help find the portal so you can return to the Real World and that is it."

"You are going to need Adrian's help," Alan told him. "You won't be able to save this system on your own." Flynn had told him that it was a combined effort of both Tron and Flynn that took out the MCP.

"I didn't say I was going save this system." Tron said.

"You are not going to do anything?" Janelle asked

"I will fight for the Users and get you home," Tron said. "And that is it."

"That is not the Tron from the stories I have heard about," Janelle said.

"Maybe he isn't," Alan said. This didn't sound like the program he wrote.

"But he looks like you."

"Is that why he refuses to face me?" Alan asked. "Show me your face."

The program growled and turned away.

"Tron-Ja-307020," Alan said using his best father-scolding-a-child tone. "Don't you walk away from me." He grabbed his shoulders.

Tron did not throw him off, nor did he attack. He just sighed. "I can't face you. I'm a disappointment."

"You have never disappointed me."

"That's because you don't know the truth. I am not the same. I failed in fighting the enemy. I did not prevent him from committing genocide. I did not stop him from repurposing me."

"It wasn't your fault, Tron," A voice that sounded like it had belonged to Kevin Flynn had said. "You fought and resisted harder than anyone. I'm still proud to call you my friend."

"Kevin?" Alan looked around him and saw no one. "Where are you?"

"Here," Flynn answered. "With you guys."

"He has been guiding me," Tron explained.

"He's like what I was," Janelle said with an admiration. "A non-corporeal entity."

"Got that right, Miss," Flynn answered. "Alan, man, how did you get in here?"

"A viral program named Osiris seized control of the laser and brought me here," Alan explained. "Me and Janelle."

"Janelle?" Flynn asked. "Bobby Harper's little girl?"

"That is me," Janelle said. "Or one of us. I do have a sister."

"You have grown up into a beautiful young woman. How have you been?"

"Dead," Janelle answered. "I drowned five years ago."

"Oh sweetheart," Flynn's voice was crestfallen. "I'm so sorry. This shouldn't have happened. You should still be alive."

"So should you," Alan said and heard Tron sigh again.

"I lived my life," Flynn said. "I got old, lived my dream, well mostly. The best dream was that my son would grow up and be strong and happy and he is."

"Maybe you can talk some sense into Tron," Janelle said.

Alan nodded. He had to explain. "Ed Dillinger's son had helped create a viral Program and paid someone on the outside to upload it into the system. A friend of ours created a software that can get through and stop the infection and help cure it."

"You need to get to the nearest I/O tower to get a message out to your friend," Flynn finished. He understood everything. "Tron, we been through this before."

"It won't change the past," Tron said.

"The past can't be changed," Alan said. "Whatever you have done in the past it is there. You can talk to me about it later, if and when you are up to it, but right now we need you."

"Who do you protect?" Flynn asked. "Who do you fight for."

Tron inhaled deeply. "For the Users."

"Great, now knock off that woe is me act and take of the mask."

Another sigh and the helmet looked like it melted away. . Tron had the same hair style as Alan did back in the early 80's with the same part in the left. His lips were pressed firmly without allowing any emotion through, but his eyes revealed how he truly felt. His blue eyes were filled with grief and guilt, but there was also the hint of admiration.

Alan felt his jaw drop. It was like looking an old photo that was taken of him decades ago

"There," Janelle said. "Someone that good looking shouldn't keep their face hidden like that."

Alan looked at her and then at Tron who smiled for a second and then turned away.

"Nearest I/O tower it is then," he said.

"First the Babbage theater house," Flynn said. "Find Pollux. You will meet up with those that can help you. I'll give you the coordinates."


	10. Babbage Theater

**Restitution**

_Chapter Ten: Babbage Theater_

_

* * *

_

Tron was the first to rerezz his lightcycle after Flynn had finished giving out the directions. He was about to ride off when he had realized he hadn't heard the other cycles being formed. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that both Alan and Janelle were still standing there.

"What are you two doing?" Tron asked after a few nanos. "We have to go now."

"What about Legion?" Janelle asked. "We have to save him."

"Flynn," Alan called out as he looked up. "Who are these allies and why do we have to meet at this theater house." Flynn did not respond to him. "Why are you not telling us everything?"

"Maybe he wants to," Janelle said. "It might be hard for him remain audible. I could never be heard out in our world and I could only be visible for a few minutes at most."

"I wish he would just tell us more." Alan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"We can discuss this while we ride," Tron said. "We wont be any help to anybody if we just stay here, waiting to be captured."

Janelle activated her bike first and after she had hopped on Alan formed his.

"Follow closely," Tron instructed and led them away from the spring.

As they approached the area that Flynn had directed them to, they had reduced their bikes back to batons. It was Tron's suggestion. He did not want to rouse suspicion, certainly not do anything that would bring out a Recognizer. While the Users relied on him for stealth he had to rely on their eyes. He had no idea what a theater would look like. They did not have one in Flynn's grid.

"That should be it," Alan said as he pointed at the tall and wide building. The front of it was divided into three sections. The ones on the end were rectangular in shape and boxy on top. The one in the middle was topped with a curved half circle.

"Looks big enough," Janelle agreed.

Tron was the first to reach the front door. It wasn't open and he wasn't sure if there wasn't anyone inside and if they were then would they be friendly. They were still in the part of the system that was corrupted.

He was about to knock when the door opened and a hand grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him away from the entrance. Tron removed his disk from his back with his other hand and was ready to slice it into the arm of his assailant when he saw the knife trimmed in aquamarine light pointed at him.

"Tron, stop it," Alan ordered.

"Easy, lady," Janelle added. "He's a bit on edge."

Tron looked up to see a female program staring him down. Her slick black armor had the addition of a vest that had aquamarine circuitry on it that matched with those on her gloves, legs and chest. Her hair, that was the same color as her circuitry was styled in an unusual fashion. She had four round buns close to her head and two short pigtails placed high on the back of her head.

"You are not from around here," the female program said.

"You are a security program," Tron said as he recognized her. "I am also one."

"Are you traveling undercover?" The female program asked.

"Yes we are," Janelle said.

"We are looking for Pollux," Tron said as he lowered his voice. "We were told he would be here." His statement brought the point of the other program's knife near his eyes.

"Tell her what we are," Alan said.

"I'm traveling with two Users," Tron said.

"Every program and their backup claims to be a User."

"Alan-One, could you come here please?" Tron looked over his shoulder. He hated to ask such a request of his User, but this will only convince the guard. "The one main difference between programs and Users is that programs don't bleed."

"I understand," Alan said and turned to the security program. "Cut my hand."

"That won't be completely necessary," the program said. She grabbed Alan's hand and brought the point of her knife against one of Alan's fingers and pushed. She ignored the User's flinch and lifted up the blade. She stared at the dark liquid that was dribbling out of his finger and at the stained tip of her knife. "Fascinating." She ran her own finger over the blood.

"Will you let us in?" Tron asked as Janelle helped Alan with his new wound.

The other program nodded and opened the door. "Inside quickly." Once they were inside she closed and locked it. "Forgive me for my extreme measures, but it isn't safe with all the corruption."

"I understand," Tron said.

"I am called Wraith. My sister program, Sylph is with our boss." She sheathed her knife. "Jor!"

A few nanoseconds passed and another program ran up to them. He was an average civilian program with minimal circuitry His dark hair was cropped short and his lips were pursed together in disapproval.

"Jor, I need you to watch the door for a bit," Wraith told him. "I'm taking our new guests to see the boss."

"Never seen them before," Jor stared at them through narrowed eyes. "Why should they get to see the boss when they do not appreciate the fine arts of the Users?"

"They are special," Wraith said in a tone that warned to not to question her. "If someone you do not recognize comes to the door I want you to call me."

"By your leave," Jor said. "Parting is such sweet sorrow."

"Shakespeare?" Alan asked. "How do you programs know Shakespeare?"

"You know of the great works of the Bard?" Jor asked. His tone of voice became the opposite of what it was before.

"Very," Janelle said.

"Then you will not be disappointed here."

Wraith shook her head at him and turned to them. "This way."

They walked down many hallways and into large rooms that were filled with hanging screens that were surrounded by groups of programs. They seemed to be enraptured with the visuals.

Tron watched a few and saw several, what he had guessed to be Users engaging in various activities from sharing their opinions, to singing, dancing. There were some playing instruments and others doing things that not even Tron could understand.

"It's like a major Youtube hub," Alan commented as they walked past another screen.

"What is Youtube?" Tron asked.

"It's a website where Users upload videos and other forms of entertainment," Janelle explained. "Sometimes it's home movies, sometimes its people trying to cash in on E-fame, other times its music videos and tributes they make to shows and movies they like. Some people even upload actual movies and Television and animated episodes."

"And not always legally," Alan added before he turned to Janelle. "How do you know about Youtube? It became popular after your death."

"I know what's popular thanks to the employees of ENCOM," Janelle explained. "I watch them watch stuff."

"Wasting valuable company time."

"Most of them do it while on their coffee and lunch breaks."

They were lead into a large room with seats set up like that of the arena, except that it wasn't quite as big and only half in side. The rows had one central focus and it was a stage with a raised curtain.

"If we shadows have offended, " A program on stage was speaking out loud. He wore only a vest with minimal circuitry and shaggy pants ending in round shoes. He also seemed to wear horns on his head. "Think but this, and all is mended, that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear."

"What is he talking about?" Tron asked. It was strangest lines he had ever heard. "Is this some form of code?" He turned to see that Alan was watching with an amused expression on his face and Janelle was saying the same words as the program. "This is a User code isn't it?"

"Not quite," Alan said as he placed a hand on Tron's shoulder. "It's lines from a play. Thanks to Youtube and the Internet, programs like yourself have come across the works of the User named William Shakespeare."

"Flynn brought a few books by that User," Tron said as he remembered Flynn stocking his shelves of books that were written by many Users. "I never took time to read them."

"Heather would have loved this," Janelle said. "She was a bit of a Shakespeare buff. She loved a lot of classic and modern plays and pretty good with iambic pentameter."

Tron frowned. He felt like he should know that. It sounded like a kind of specific data code.

"A rhyming scheme," Alan explained. "Users called English Majors, Theater Majors, and writers study it and use it sometimes."

"You're a writer." Tron pointed at his User. "You wrote me."

"A different kind of writer."

"Heather was more familiar with prose and poetry," Janelle further explained. "Metaphors and similes. She can tell you the definition of Terza Rima and Kyrielle."

"I thin I would like to meet this Heather," a voice from behind said.

Tron spun around with the others and watched as two programs rose from the floor. The first was a female dressed in black and had a skirt in addition to leggings. Her blue-purple hair was styled in two buns at the top of her head with the remaining hair in a long ponytail. The circuits on her armor were the same color as was the staff she carried.

The male program that stood by her had a sleeveless black top with minimal blue-white light and only a few bands of light down his leggings. He wore gloves that went up to the elbow and cape with a high back collar. There was ring of white light around his collar. His dark hair was styled in shot curls and his eyes were rimmed in black

"Another security program," Tron said when he recognized the woman.

"I've seen you met my girls," the male program said. "Wraith and Sylph. They are a dandy pair. I am never without one by my side. Not even when I object." He walked up to Tron and leaned toward him. "Not that I want to." He whispered as he held up his hand to his mouth.

"Are you Pollux?" Tron asked as he stepped back away from the odd program.

"I go by many names," the strange program said as he inhaled. "But yes that is me." He strutted away from Tron and towards Alan and Janelle. "I see that you both are fans of the theater and I heard the lovely one recite along with one of my actors."

"Hi," Janelle said. "I'm Janelle Harper, the ghost of ENCOM."

"I'm Alan, Alan Bradley, the head of the ENCOM board."

"Such wonderful names." Pollux's smile grew even wider. "Are these characters of yours?"

"Those are our actual names," Alan said he was staring at Pollux's face. "Jeremy Bedlam?"

"That was the name of my User," Pollux said in a surprised tone. "How do you-" His eyes widened. "Are you two by any chance, Users?"

"We are," Janelle said.

"That is fantastic." Pollux clasped his hands together. "I love Users. They are such a delight. How do you know, Jeremy?"

"He used to work at ENCOM," Alan said. "He retired two years ago."

"I remember watching that party," Janelle said fondly. "The cake looked yummy."

"Who was Jeremy?" Tron asked.

"He created my brothers and I," Pollux explained. "I was a payroll program, my brother, Castor was a mail program." His smile faded. "Or he was before he contracted a virus and had to be deleted."

"I'm sorry," Tron said.

"It was a mercy deletion," Pollux said. "He was in pain. Jeremy created Zuse not long after to replace his duties."

"Zuse?" Tron asked. The name was very familiar.

"He was brought over to a new Grid," Pollux explained. "His function changed when that Flynn and he went to live in the that Grid.." He blinked. "Do you know him?"

"We all know who Flynn is," Tron said. He clenched his fist. "I also met Zuse."

"How is he?" Pollux asked. "We don't communicate often these cycles."

"Derezzed after betraying the Users."

"He betrayed the Users?" Pollox had sputtered. "My little brother betrayed Users?" His voice grew louder. "I can't believe it."

"Your brother is dead and you care more about the fact that he betrayed Users?" Alan asked in shock.

"We have grown apart in the last few megacycles," Pollux said after a sigh. "I did say we rarely communicated after all."

"You can understand why there are some trust issues," Tron said as he approached Pollux. He was blocked off by Wraith and Sylph.

"I would never betray a User," Pollux said. "They are far too amusing. I love them. What they can write, what they can sing and each performance they bring to us. How can any program hate them? I also love their smaller furry companions. They can ride on skateboards and sing and make cute little sounds."

"You're an animal lover?" Janelle asked.

"But of course." He grabbed her hand. "They are so fascinating and cute, a bit like you." He kissed the top of her hand.

Tron felt a growl develop in the back of his throat, but he did not react. He didn't have to. Alan walked up to them and glared at Pollux.

"Mr. Bradley," Janelle sighed. "I was twenty three and I'm not alive and he is harmless."

"That remains to be seen," Tron said.

"I can prove it," Pollux said. "There are two from the Real World waiting in my office."

"Two more Users?" Alan asked

"They said they were sent here to wait for more Users and a famous warrior." He beckoned to the back of the stage. "This way."

They followed Pollux and his two guards while they walked down another hallway that led to a stairway. The enthusiastic Program prattled on about the theater and asked questions that both Alan and Janelle were pleased to oblige.

"I always wanted to do something more," Pollux said as he stopped in front of a doorway. "Something special for the theater."

"Like redesign it?" Alan asked.

"What?" Pollux blinked. "Oh no, not the theater as the building but as in the art form."

"You act?" Janelle asked.

"Why yes I do." The caped program said and bowed. "I also sing and dance." He stretched out a leg and kicked it in the air. "But I yearn to be more creative. I want to make my own characters have them have their own adventures and other programs perform them."

"You wish to be a playwright?" Janelle asked.

"Yes." Pollux eyes lit up. "I do have an idea for something. I was thinking of a love story. It would be between a program and a User. A female program who is sent to the Real World and she meets a young User who is not popular."

"Sounds like the plot of several Anime series," Janelle said.

"It has been done before?" Pollux frowned.

"Plenty of stories," Alan agreed.

"Maybe try the reverse?" Janelle suggested.

"The User comes into our world and falls in love with a program?" Pollux asked. "Yes that could work and I could make the program a male and the User a female."

"That's a bit of a twist," Alan said.

"I would watch it," Janelle added.

"Wonderful." Pollux smiled as they reached the door. "I hope the five of you mix up well together and while we are on the subject you should tell me your drink preferences. I have my own little bar in here."

"Uh," Janelle blinked and rubbed her head. She had the same lost expression as Alan. The two of them did not know what kind of drinks they had.

"Three cool energy splashes with flavor spheres," Tron gave the odd program the request.

"Excellent choice," Pollux as he opened the door. "Hello my other guests." He greeted as his guards walked inside. "I brought other Users, perhaps you might know each other."

Tron was the last to enter. He walked into a large room that was a combination of an office and a lounge. There was a visual screen, a large round table, several desks and control panels, a mini bar and a couch. There were two sitting on it, two that were familiar.

"Sam?" Alan asked. "Quorra?"

"Alan?" Sam Flynn asked as he stood up.

"It's him," the ISO gasped when she recognized Tron. "The enforcer, Rinzler."

"Rinzler?" Sam asked and glared. He removed the disk from his back and marched straight up to Tron.

* * *

**A/N**: The play that is being rehearsed on stage is _A Midsummer's Night Dream_.

And speaking of Youtube, someone uploaded the entire first movie


	11. Reunion

**Restitution**

_Chapter 11: Reunion_

_

* * *

_

Sam wasn't sure why his father instructed Quorra and him to visit the Babbage Theater house. The place was within the large corrupted part of ENCOM's grid. His father had insisted that it was one of the few safe places within the corruption and the one in charge, called Pollux, was very User friendly. His father's description was an understatement.

Pollux was quite the program, very flashy and flamboyant, reminded Sam of the one called Castor or should Sam think of him as Zuse? Pollux said they were brother programs, created by the same User.

Quorra seemed to like him and Pollux was delighted by her, especially her enthusiasm for the plays and stories written by Users. He let both Sam and Quorra follow him to his private office and spent minutes talking. Sam wanted to talk about the resistance and the fight against the viral corruption, but to his chagrin both the program and Quorra wanted to talk about plays and playwrights.

Then their host was called away and Sam was certain he had heard Sylph mention other Users in their brief conversation.

"More Users," Quorra said once they were alone. "I wonder who they could be?"

"I don't like this," Sam said. He stared at his drink in hand. "Remember what his brother did?"

"He's not like his brother," Quorra said. "Pollux is different. I think we can trust him."

"Just because he is friendly, nice and shares some of the same interests as you does not mean he is trustworthy." There were times when Sam admired her naivety. This was not one of those times. "He could have set up a trap for us. Those other Users might be corrupted soldier programs."

"What if he is telling the truth?"

"There is that possibility but in this case we have to expect the worst."

"We also should think that they might be actual Users," Quorra said, her voice heavy with insistence. "One of them could be Adrian."

"Adrian?" Sam blinked. As he thought about it did make sense. Adrian and Alan were the only others who were working with them. Alan knew about the Grid, but he thought they were just stories, but there was a possibility that he told Adrian and they both got the old laser working.

"Hello my other guests," Pollux greeted as the door opened and his two guards stepped inside. "I brought other Users, perhaps you might know each other." Pollux walked and in and was followed by three others.

Sam nearly dropped his glass when he recognized the first one. Quorra had just told him that one of the other Users might have been Adrian. He did not think of the possibility that Alan had come over.

"Sam?" Alan asked when he recognized them. "Quorra?"

"Alan?" Sam rose from where he sat. He noticed that Quorra also rose and was getting into a defensive position.

"It's him," Quorra said. "The enforcer, Rinzler."

"Rinzler?" Sam asked. He did not look at the woman and instead focused on the third member of the group. The program looked like the younger version of Alan. The shape of the lights on his armor was the same as the ones on Rinzler.

Sam glared and removed the disk from his back. He ran up to Rinzler who just had his helmet reformed.

Something swept under Sam's feet and he tripped. The second he stumbled on the ground he was forced onto his back and had the end of a staff pressed against his chest.

Sylph raised her leg to kick at Quorra and knocked her back.

"Stop," Alan and the woman shouted.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop," Pollux shouted and flapped his arms. "Wraith, Sylph, stand down. We do not fight in here. We do not attack Users."

Sam took a deep breath once the blunt end of the cane was removed from his chest. He rolled over and sat up on his knees. He looked over to Quorra who was glaring at Slyph. He was then looking at Rinzler who was pinned against the wall. Wraith had grabbed one of his hands and went for one of her knives. Rinzler had blocked her attack with one of his disk's.

"The hell?" the woman asked. Her voice was familiar.

"What were you doing, Sam?" Alan asked. He was standing in front of the woman who stood in front of Rinzler.

"What are you doing?" Quorra asked. Sam couldn't remember the last time he had seen her that angry.

"What were you doing?" Alan repeated. "Sam, you just tried to attack us."

"I wasn't going to attack you," Sam said as he pointed at Rinzler. Clu's enforcer just stood there with his shoulders lowered. "I was trying to save you from him."

"Tron is my program," Alan said. "He would not attack us."

"He's not your program anymore," Sam said and retrieved his dropped disk. He placed it on his back, never removing his eyes from Rinzler.

"Don't you remember?" The woman asked as she stepped in front of him. "He's a hero. Your father told us about him."

Sam's eyes widened and he jumped back. "Janelle Harper?"

"Is she a friend of yours?" Quorra asked. She was also poised and ready to attack. "Why haven't you introduced me to her?"

"Cause she's dead," Sam answered and stared back at Janelle. She was the daughter of Bobby Harper, friend to both Alan and his father and they did grow up together. They didn't hang out in the same circles and she did go to a different college, but Sam was still deeply hurt and saddened when she died. "Janelle, you drowned five years ago. I was at your funeral."

"We all were, Sam," Alan said. "She is real."

"I'm a ghost," Janelle explained. "I think I still am, not sure, but I was the ghost of ENCOM."

"A ghost?" Pollux asked. He had gone over to his minibar. "You did call yourself a ghost before .Like the one in Hamlet?"

"You can say that," Janelle said.

"How exciting."

"Exciting?" Alan repeated and glared at him. "She's a friend of ours and you think it's exciting that she is dead?"

"She did not get to see her dreams come true," Rinzler said in a soft tone. It was eerie how much he sounded like Alan.

"I did not mean to offend," Pollux said as he held up his hands. "I meant the phenomenon of an actual ghost here." He pulled out several bottles. "I am quite sorry."

"You should apologize to Janelle," Rinzler said.

"I am deeply sorry if I said anything to offend you, Miss Janelle," Pollux said.

"It's okay," Janelle told him. "The subject matter of disembodied spirits is pretty fasinating."

"Do you seek revenge and need the help of the living?" Quorra asked. Sam had seen her read some of Shapespeare's work.

"It was an accident," Janelle said as Pollux handed her a glass of glowing liquid and three spheres on a stick that glowed in the colors of pink, orange, and yellow. "I just watch over those that I love."

"Everyone sit and talk," Pollux said as he handed both Alan and Rinzler their drinks. "Discuss amongst yourselves. This place is safe and secure."

"It isn't with him," Quorra said as she pointed at Rinzler.

"I will stand," Rinzler said. He had his helmet removed again

"We will watch him," Wraith said as she and Sylph stood on either side of Rinzler. "Your friends trust him."

"Because he is a friend," Janelle said as she sat down. "He protected me."

"You're a ghost," Sam said after he took another sip from his drink. "And you are the one that has been haunting ENCOM. Why were you haunting us?"

"She wasn't haunting us," Alan said. "She's been watching over us." He took a drink from his glass.

"I only haunt jerks," Janelle explained. "Like that one security guard, Jackson."

"Tall guy with the tinted glasses?" Sam asked. He did not like that man. "I know who you are talking about, he is an ass."

"He's a bit tough, but not that bad," Alan said.

"You don't understand. He's the guard that always gave me a hard time when I just came to visit the company, not my yearly check in but actual visits to see if you wanted to have lunch or something, Alan. He didn't even let up when I actually started to work. He keeps on giving me that look as if I was something he spat up."

"Always complained when he had to cover someone's shift," Janelle added. "'Your kid's sick again? Aren't you feeding him right?'"

"He does that?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Janelle nodded. "Also took bribes from some of the higher ups."

"Wait," Alan cut back in. "He's been doing that?"

"Uh-huh." Janelle nodded her head.

"You probably have got a lot of dirt on people," Sam said.

"What are you doing, Pollux?" Quorra asked.

"Hmm?" Pollux was seating in a chair with a glowing pad placed on one knee. He was writing something down on it with a stylus. "Just writing your dialogue. I want to keep it real with User characters in my play."

"If you want good dialogue and witty banter you should look up Joss Whedon, and J. Michael Straczynski." Janelle suggested.

"Thank you," Pollux said and made another note.

"One of those she pulled pranks on is responsible for all of this," Rinzler said. He was leaning with his back against the wall. He kept staring down, or at Alan. "He created Osiris and his dark guard."

"Who?" Sam asked as he looked at Rinzler. Alan's program refused to look him in the eyes.

"Junior," Janelle said and slurped down her drink with much gusto. She popped once of the glowing spheres in her mouth and closed her eyes as if she were ecstasy.

"Ed Dillinger Junior?" Sam asked. He wished he could say that he was shocked. Junior had told him the past was in the past, but there were some details that Sam didn't like. Junior was cold to him and to Alan. Sam wasn't sure if he could put any trust in Ed or rely on him.

"We have to find this Osiris then," Quorra said. "We'll derezz him and then we turn Ed over to the authorities." She paused and blinked her eyes. "I said it wrong? He just gets fired?"

"Hacking is a crime," Alan told her. "We will report him if and when we get proof."

"What about him?" Sam asked as he pointed at Rinzler.

"He's working with us," Alan said. "He's on our side."

"Rinzler attacked us the last time we came across him. He enforced the rules of our enemy."

"His name is Tron." The older man glared down at him.

"Alan, I know you created him, but he isn't the same."

"He is on our side," Janelle said. "I trust him, Alan trusts him. Your father trusts him."

"I shouldn't be trusted," Rinzler said and earned confused looks from the guards. "I was the enemy. I nearly killed the son of Flynn. I hurt him."

"Even he knows what he is." Sam recalled when he was in the arena, facing off against Rinzler and the program had cut him…and then Rinzler stopped and addressed him as a User. Somewhere inside Rinzler, the old Tron had existed. Now this enforcer was going by Tron again. "Then he looked at dad, remembered everything and fought against the enemy."

"What happened?" Alan asked as he looked at his program. "What happened to you?"

"Taken and repurposed," Quorra answered. "Clu turned him into Rinzler."

"Like he was brainwashed?" Janelle asked.

"That's the same thing I guess," Sam answered. The Janelle he remembered wasn't into computers or programming. She still needed some things translated into User-speak. "He was brainwashed and deadly, he still is."

"No." Janelle scowled at him.

"Yes I am," Rinzler said. "Rinzler surfaces at times. When I was fighting in the arena I fought to not kill but to disarm, but as the game wore on I grew more fierce more like what Users would call an animal."

"You see?" Sam pointed at the program. "We can't trust him."

"Sam, stop," Alan snapped at him.

"Alan, come on-"

"Whatever you are about to say next better not be trying to convince me to give up on him."

"He wasn't himself," Janelle said. "He's got some issues yes, but who doesn't?"

"Programs don't," Sam told her.

"He's more than just a mere program."

"He is with us," Alan said. "If you don't want to trust him then-"

"No one should trust me," Rinzler said.

"And you stop that." Alan turned to point at him. "You are Tron. You do not give up on anyone, not even yourself. I made you to be stronger than this. Now stop slouching, stand up straight and do what Kevin told you to do and knock off that unnecessary angst."

Rinzler was stunned. He looked like no one had talked to him that way before. He blinked twice and stood up tall.

"I'm sorry, Alan-One," he said.

Wraith stepped away from her position. "Jor is calling me." She nodded at her sister Program and her employer before she left the office.

"Sam." Alan turned back to face him. "As I was saying before, if you don't want to trust my program then fine. You do your own thing with Quorra. You two will continue fighting the infection on your own. Janelle, Tron and I will try our own method without you."

"You can't mean that." Sam couldn't believe Alan would give him such an ultimatum. Alan was like a second father to him and now he was favoring his crazed program over him.

"I can and will." That look in his eyes was serious. He really would break up a potential team for Rinzler. "Please, Sam, give him a second chance. He was your childhood hero. How many chances have Lora and I given you?"

"Several," Sam sighed as recalled the multiple times that Alan and or Lora had to bail him out of some form of trouble.

"We are not each other's enemies," Janelle said. "Stop this bickering." She placed a hand against her head. "The living."

"She's right," Quorra said and set her empty glass down. "We don't know how long the firewall will hold. We have to settle for a truce. We need to form an alliance." She stared at Rinzler. "His glow is like ours and not red."

"Such a character," Pollux said as he continued to jot down notes. "A hero of legend. He gets attacked, turned into a pawn of the enemy. Something makes him good again and he is wracked by guilt."

"Not cool." Janelle glared at him. "Tron is going through inner pain and you are just using it for your play."

"I am sorry," Pollux said as he set down the stylus. "My social graces should be at optimum level." He set the pad down and stood up. "Please accept my apology."

"I accept," Rinzler said.

"Perfect." Pollux brought his hands together. "Now who wants another drink?"

"No time," Sylph said in an alarmed tone. "Wraith just contacted me. The Black Guards are at entering the theater along with one of their commanders."

"How do we get out of here?" Sam asked. He studied Pollux's face to see if the program would do something to help or if he was going to betray them like his brother.

"There is an exit to the basement," Pollux said in a serious tone. "There is a door down there that will lead you through the underground. Follow us."

Sylph and Pollux lead the way out of the office and down a hallway to a different door. The door opened to reveal stairs down.

"Sylph, I need you to stay here." Pollux instructed.

"I have to protect you," Sylph insisted.

"We have to protect the Users. I need to show them where to go."

"Yes sir." Sylph nodded.

Pollux walked down the stairs. Sam was the second to go and once he reached the bottom step he looked up to see that he was closely followed by Quorra, and then Alan, Janelle and finally Rinzler.

The basement was like a storage room with several boxes stacked up onto each other. Pollux lead them through a maze of the boxes until he reached a wall.

"It's a bit of a tight fit," Pollux said as he tapped the wall. A three-foot high opening appeared on the bottom. "Then again, I always did like a good squeeze."

Sam watched as Alan crawled through first and the rest of the group followed, leaving Sam and Rinzler.

"Come with us," Sam said. "We don't know what they will do to you."

"Don't worry young User," Pollux said. "I can manage. I always have. They won't think of trying to find this entrance." He turned to Rinzler. "Look after them, Security Program."

"I will," Rinzler said.

Sam stared in Rinzler's eyes and saw a mixture of concern, determination and sadness. He said nothing as he crawled through the entrance. He still wasn't sure if he should trust Rinzler or not, but he did look back to make sure Alan's program followed them behind.


	12. Escape

**Restitution**

_Chapter 12: Escape_

_

* * *

_

Alan wasn't sure how long they had been running. He knew that it been a while since they emerged from that tunnel and into an underground walk way. They ran as soon as everyone had exited from Pollux's basement and towards the direction where Sam had said was close to the Firewall. One thing that Alan knew, was that if they were back in the real world he would be out of breath by now, but here he was different. He wasn't sure it was because he was a User in the computer world, or if it was because of that recent glass of energy. He did want to stop, not to rest but to speak with everyone.

"Stop," he cried out. "We can't just keep running."

"We have to make it to the Sailer," Quorra said and pointed at the direction they were running at. "There is one that will take us beyond the fire wall."

"We need to get to the nearest I/O tower," Tron told her. "We have to get a message to the User known as Adrian."

"Adrian hasn't put the disk in?" Sam asked.

"Think about it," Alan said. "If he saw me and Janelle—if he saw me being pulled in here through the laser then he is not going to want to continue out of fear." He had to pause. "We have to tell him what is going on and that we need his help."

"Probably afraid of Foamy," Janelle added

"The squirrel?" Sam blinked.

"Osiris," Janelle explained. "That was what he called him."

"We make sure Osiris is away from the tower," Tron said. "Once Adrian is assured that it is safe then he will provide us with the help that we need."

"And we can help poor Legion," Janelle added.

"A friend that was captured," Alan said before Sam or Quorra could ask.

"We will need more help," Sam said. "Quorra and I were told there were a group of warriors in the protected park. We need to find Arc in the Codebreakers club and he will take us to them.

"There are many from Flynn's grid that survived the explosion caused by the reintegration," Quorra added. "Strong fighters and those that are not security Programs also wish to fight." She turned to Sam and smiled. "They will do anything to help the son of Flynn."

"That does sound like a great idea ." Alan had to agree with the kids. He turned to his program. "What do you think, Tron?"

Tron nodded. "I calculate that is a good plan. We have only had minimum exposure to Osiris. We do not know what he is fully capable of."

"Quorra and I have come across Clu," Sam said. "I remember dad's stories of the MCP. I know he's also told some of them to Quorra, not sure if you remember them, Janelle."

"I do," Janelle said. "If Osiris is anything like that then we need all the help we can get."

Alan nodded. "Then what are we waiting for?"

* * *

Osiris flexed his hands and curled his fingers back into fists as he stepped inside the building. The idea of a theater itself was quaint and unusual. Regor had briefed him of what went on in there. He can understand programs watching visuals from the Web, but to act out in the same performances that Users have done? Preposterous. What use was that to anyone?

"There are no signs of any User here," Regor briefed him as they both stepped into the private office of the owner.

"Are you certain they have been spotted here?" Osiris asked as he looked around the office. He had to admire the decorum.

"The reports have been confirmed," Regor assured. "Tron and the two Users have been seen here."

"Then where are they?" Osiris's gaze fell on the owner. The odd program was framed by both of his bodyguards. "Where are they, Pollux?"

"I'm afraid you are mistaken," Pollux said as he held out two glasses of mixed and refined energy towards them.

"I have been told that two Users have entered your theater," Osiris said as he accepted his glass. "My sources are positive." He cast a glance at his number one minion as he took a sip from his glass.

"They are accurate," Regor said as he walked around the office.

"Where have they gone?" Osiris asked. "I am not going to ask you again."

"I keep telling you that you are mistaken. Someone must have seen some of my actors and thought they were the real thing." The theater owner smiled. "They are that talented you know."

"I will have you derezzed if you don't comply," Osiris growled and took another drink.

The two bodyguards stepped in front of their boss while several members of the black guard aimed their staffs at them

"No," Pollux said as he held up his hands. "No one fights in my office, even if it means to protect me." He turned to Osiris. "You can silence me, but that will not help you find what you are looking for." His eyes became narrow slits.

"What's this?" Regor asked as he picked up a pad from the desk. "Cast of characters?"

"Don't," Pollux marched up to him. "That is a work in progress. I'm still working on the details."

"The heroine is a User," Regor continued to read. "She had her heart broken in the Real World and wanted to end her existence there. She came into our world, not knowing what to expect."

"Give me that." Pollux reached for his pad but was pushed away by Regor.

"The hero is a security Program. He was taken by a rogue Program and repurposed into an enforcer. He was later rebooted back to his original form, but feels guilty about what he has done in the past."

"Those are just the schematics." Pollux reached again and once again missed swiping his pad back.

"I see that derezzing you would be futile to my goals," Osiris said. "We will just de-rezz the theater instead."

"No," Pollux gasped.

"There is nothing to worry about if you tell us what we need to know," Osiris said and knocked back the last of his drink and set the glass down on the table near the edge.

"I'll tell you nothing," Pollux's voice was in a low growl. "You can destroy as many buildings and theaters as you wish but the show will still go on."

"Keep on hoping and dreaming," Osiris said as he snatched the pad away from Regor. He nodded towards his soldiers. "Take these two security programs. They will be rectified into my army."

"Not them," Pollux screeched as the guards grabbed his bodyguards. "Don't take them."

Both the bodyguards stuck at the soldiers and blocked off many of their advances.

"Tell them to relax," Regor said. "Or we will have you derezzed."

"Wraith, Sylph, you heard him," Osiris said and sighed.

"Sir?" Wraith asked as she was lead away. "They will change us."

"Do not worry, sister," Sylph said as she followed close behind. "Our wills and minds are too strong. They will not succeed."

"Yes," Pollux said with a smile. "Strong willed those two are. You will never wear them down. They won't be yours."

"You do not know how wrong you are," Osiris said as he walked back to the table. "Everyone can be repurposed." He placed a finger on his empty glass. "Everyone can be broken." He gave the glass a slight push and watched it as it fell to the floor where it shattered into several pieces. "Regor, we are leaving."

"Yes master," Regor said.

"Keep writing your play," Osiris said as he slammed the pad against Pollux's chest. "Except you will change the characters and plot. The hero will become a true warrior for the real hero, the leader of the new world order and the User shall fall for the leader." He turned and walked out of the office.

"Master," Regor said when he caught up with him. "You have showed a great deal of mercy to that program. "May I ask why?"

"We were getting no where with him," Osiris answered as the two of them made their way through the theater house. "I gave him a fitting punishment, one that would crush his dreams."

"You have him write what you want him to write?"

"Precisely."

"How will this accomplish our goals?"

"It is a little added benefit," Osiris said. The corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk. "There will be many benefits when we run everything."

"You mean this system?" Regor asked.

"Of course." Osiris tried not to roll his eyes at his commander. He did mean this system for now."

"Running it for our Users. I mean your User."

"You can stop talking about that subject. How are we with that SBM?"

"We still haven't gotten anywhere with him," Regor answered.

"I want to see him myself."

Osiris returned to his ship and marched to the torture chamber. There were several Programs reaching out to him and begging for mercy. He ignored them all and went straight to the 64 SBM.

The figure was shaking, or at least the parts that he could shake. His limbs were held fast to the wall. He sadly stared up at Osiris with solid blue eyes.

"Does it still hurt?" Osiris asked.

"Legion hurts," the 64 SBM said with a wavering voice.

Osiris pressed the activation button on the panel and watched as the figure called Legion screamed and shook.

"No more," Legion cried out.

"There won't be more if you tell me what I want to hear," Osiris said. "Where did Tron and the Users go? Where are they going? What are there plans?"

"Legion doesn't know where Janelle and Tron are."

Osiris turned on the power again. "Tell me."

"Legion doesn't know," the figure managed to get out in between screams. "Legion won't tell you."

"You will tell me everything." Osiris turned up the power. "Now, if you want the pain to stop."

Legion thrashed his head back and forth while small glowing fissures appeared on his body.

Osiris snarled and turned up the power to the next level.

"Master," Regor said. "He's in too much pain to talk."

"You are right," Osiris said in a low tone. He turned off the power. "Where are they?"

"Legion won't tell you anything."

Osiris glared at him. "Then so be it." He turned the power up to the max.

Legion screamed and thrashed around while the fissures reappeared on his body. The cracks grew in both size and number.

"Master," Regor gasped and pulled Osiris to the ground as the flash appeared. "He's been derezzed."

"Don't tell me the obvious," Osiris said as he stood back up.

"I think I saw several bits fly away, but after that experience I doubt they would want to reformat."

"That does not concern me." He stared his servant in the eyes. "There is new order. Every wandering program will be captured and interrogated. Send out every soldier immediately."

"By your order," Regor said as he bowed.

* * *

Janelle had several questions she wanted to ask of Sam and his friend. One of the first was that she wanted to know what he had been doing when he was away from ENCOM. She saw him more recently the past week when he started to work for the company and she saw him at least once a year before that when he pranked the board meeting.

"We are almost there," Sam said and pointed to a platform manned by several programs and an odd looking ship that appeared to have strange sails at the bow end. It made the craft look like a flower and a little like a dragonfly.

"What is that?" Janelle asked.

"A solar sailer," Quorra answered. "It's the only way to get across the sea and into the Firewall."

"The sea?" Janelle repeated. She her stomach lurch, which is an impossible feeling, but she had felt it. Her knees were pressed together. "The sea?"

"Easy," Alan said as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He seemed to have read her fears. "We'll get you through it."

"Will they let us on?" Tron asked. "I doubt they will let just anyone on."

"They let us come across," Sam said. His expression softened when he looked at Janelle. "Hey J, are you feeling well?"

"I don't feel," Janelle said as she steadied herself. "I can't feel." There was nothing to fear. She puffed out her chest and walked straight up to the platform.

"Halt," one of the programs working the Sailer said and held up his hand. "Do you have the clearance code to access this?"

"She's with us," Sam said as he walked up next to her. "The five of us are together."

"Sorry about that," the platform worker said. "Many have been trying to escape in the last 120 nanoseconds we have trouble keeping up with how many we can sen-" A disk sliced through his middle, causing his whole body to de-rezz.

Janelle turned around to see that dozens of the sentries were advancing on them. "Shit."

Several more disks flew at them. Janelle hit the ground as a few flew over her and looked up in time to see that Quorra had used a sword to slice throw another disk and her own disk to block another attack while Sam threw his at one of the soldiers and killed him.

Another disk flew straight towards Alan.

Tron appeared in front of him and used one of his two disks to block and destroy the disk. His face was turned up into a ferocious snarl as he glared at the advancing enemy.

"Stay away from my User!" He threw one disk at the enemy and jumped in the air and threw another as he somersaulted, upon landing he caught the first disk that derezzed one of the soldiers and ducked the disk from one of the enemies.

Janelle gritted her teeth and removed her disk. She sidestepped and ducked another attack and threw hers. The edge of her disk sliced through the leg of a soldier and she caught her disk on return.

Two more guards came and her and were about to strike her with their staffs.

Janelle hit the ground and rolled away. As their staffs struck the floor she brought her disk up and slammed it in the throat of one of the guards. She rolled away and rose to her feet and stood up ready to face the other soldier.

The Program derezzed before her eyes.

"Not bad for an old guy," Alan said in a proud tone as he held up his disk.

"Stay down," Janelle instructed and turned to face another guard. There was not much for her to attack. Sam was doing a great job fighting against the enemy and Quorra was fierce with how she had leaped onto one of them and slashed at their chest with her sword.

The most powerful fighter was Tron. He leaped and dodged with the prowess of jungle cat. She wasn't sure if programs had muscles like Users did but she was certain she saw something that caused the armor to ripple like that. He was able to do most of the work for them.

"Amazing," Janelle gasped.

Once the last of the guards was taken care of Tron stood with their back towards him. His lights had changed color to red-orange again.

"We're in trouble," Sam said.

Tron turned around and ran up to Quorra. "ISO." Was followed by a growl.

"No," Janelle ran up to him. "Tron, stop it." She brought up her disk as Tron brought his down. "It's me."

"Tron look at me," Alan said. He had used his own disk to block the second one in the program's hands.

"Alan-one," Tron said as his helmet retracted. "Janelle." The lights turned back to blue-white as he fell to his knees.

"You see?" Sam asked as Tron placed his disks on his back. "He's dangerous."

"He just needs to be worked on," Alan said as he placed a hand on Tron's shoulder. "I'm sorry, kid." His voice grew soothing. "What have they done to you?"

"I'm dangerous," Tron said.

"To the enemy," Janelle said. She reached out and brushed her hand through his bangs. He did not flinch. "You would never hurt us."

"We are going to shut down in the next sixty nanoseconds," one of the remaining platform workers said. "We have to get you off to the Firewall now. Who's coming?"

"We are all coming," Alan said. "No one is getting left behind." He helped Tron to his feet.

Janelle followed behind them. She noticed that both Sam and Quorra did not look pleased with the fact they were allowing Tron onboard, but they knew better than to question Alan or her.

As she approached the edge of the platform and was about to step onto the Sailer, she could hear the waves of the ocean at least in her mind. Janelle felt her legs grow numb. She could not feel her legs. She tried to force them to move but they wouldn't budge. She could of swore she heard people calling out to her. No they were screaming her name and she fell over the railing and into the sea.

Her fall stopped when she felt strong arms pick her up. Janelle opened her eyes and looked into Tron's eyes.

"I have you," the security program said to her.

"My legs don't want to work."

"I'll carry you aboard."

All she could murmur was simple thank you as she was carried onto the sailer.


	13. Sail Away

**Restitution**

_Chapter 13: Sail Away_

_

* * *

_

"Beautiful," Alan commented as they traveled along the Sailer. The view was utterly breathtaking. He watched the sky and looked at the sea below. He wondered how Flynn had reacted when he first saw it. "You were right, Kevin. You were certainly right."

"Told you so, man," Flynn's voice was heard behind him.

"Where were you?" Alan asked as he turned around, only not to see anything.

"Can't be everywhere at once," Flynn answered. "I'm usually with Sam or Tron, but I had to go somewhere else."

"Is something pulling you?" Alan asked. He wondered if the hereafter was trying to grab onto his friend.

"Nothing. I just need to check on everything that I made."

"How many of these digital frontiers are out there?"

"Depends," Flynn answered. "How many computers and networks are out there."

"The gate closed for you before everyone got connected," Alan answered him. He remembered the commercials with a young Ana Paquin strutted around and telling everyone about the Internet and the World Wide Web.

"Wireless connection, people communicating with each other through computers, sending mail, looking up information. How many of my ideas came true?"

"All of them." Alan couldn't help but to smile. "Al Gore owes you an apology."

"Nah."

"Nah?"

"You know I don't like to get mixed up in politics."

Alan laughed along with Flynn and stopped when his friend did. He looked over his shoulder and saw Tron staring at him.

"Flynn has returned," Tron said.

"How are you feeling, old friend?" Flynn asked.

"Disoriented," Tron answered. "Pained by guilt. I was afraid Rinzler would resurface."

"I'm going to try and fix that," Alan said. "With Flynn's help of course."

"I'd be happy to help," Flynn told him. "Tron, Alan is going to need to see your Identity Disk."

"Both of them?" Tron asked.

"Both for good measure," Alan said. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. "How is Janelle?"

"She has calmed down," Tron said as he handed his disks over to Alan. "Why was she scared like that?" He held up his hands. "I never seen anyone react like that. I wanted to help her, make her feel better. She needed someone to be with her. Sam and Quorra came by and asked if they could speak with her, alone."

"She and Sam used to be friends," Alan explained. "They used to play together when they were started to drift around middle school and went their separate ways in high school. They talked to each other when they came to office parties and picnic but that was about it." He stared at the disks. "What am I looking at?" He ran his finger over the surface of one of them. Visuals of Tron fighting against various opponents and code appeared.

"Got to weed through that until you find the problem," Flynn instructed.

"This Rinzler mode seems to become active when Tron is fighting," Alan commented. "I just need to watch this where he gets aggressive." He paused when he saw the fracture in the code and the bits of broken data that was floating near it. He did not write the broken pieces. "Lets get rid of these." He tapped against the broken pieces and found he was able to pluck them out. "And just get this fracture." He pictured the right amount of numbers and letters and ran his finger over the fracture.

Tron rubbed his head. "I feel better. I don't feel as quite disoriented as before."

"Good," Flynn said.

"And this one is also clean," Alan said after he removed some of the broken and corrupted code. He turned off the holographic imagery. "That should do it." He looked up at his creation. "How about you sit down, take a load off and talk."

"About?" Tron asked.

"Whatever it is you have on your mind."

* * *

_Several Nanos ago_

Sam found the container of energy in the exact same location as he was on the last time he was on the Sailer when he and Quorra came into the corrupted part. He ladled some into three glasses and handed one to Quorra.

"She is scared," Quorra said as she followed him to space in the center of the Sailer.

Rinzler was still there, seated at the edge of the lowered section and staring down at Janelle.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked in a clipped tone.

"Watching over her," Rinzler answered. "She needs someone to be with her."

"She's got us," Sam said. He did not trust this program to be near his old friend, even if she was one of the few who brought him back from being the enforcer.

"We are not comfortable near you," Quorra told him. "Flynn told me stories of your heroics and I want to believe you can be that hero again, but I don't feel that way now."

Rinzler nodded. "I want to be that hero again. No matter what kind of warrior I become, a hero, protector, just someone to help this system again. The one thing I know I will do is to continue fighting for the Users." He sighed. "I don't want to be Rinzler again."

"Maybe Mr. Bradley can help," Quorra suggested. "He wrote you."

"Alan said he would fix me." Rinzler walked past him. "I'll go speak with him."

Sam was glad he was gone. He can now focus on Janelle and not worry about that psychotic program and on any chance that he might switch again.

"I feel sorry for him," Quorra said softly. "He didn't ask for that to be done to him."

"No he didn't," He didn't feel the same about Rinzler, as Quorra had. He remembered hearing the stories about his father's adventures in Encom's system and the Grid and probably a few he made up as well. Tron was always the hero in those stories. Sam had looked up to him and dreamed of someday meeting Tron the way most other boys dreamed of meeting Superman or the Ghostbusters.

His dream turned into a nightmare when he came across Rinzler. The fact that Tron was brainwashed into the enforcer did nothing to kill those fears.

"Janelle?" Quorra looked down into the small depression. "Would you like some energy to drink?"

"I would like some," Janelle said. She had her legs folded and her arms wrapped around her knees. "Thank you."

"How are you holding up?" Sam asked as Quorra handed his old friend her drink.

"A little embarrassed," Janelle answered. "The dead shouldn't fear anything."

"Your body and brain are gone, but you still have your memories," Sam said. "Imprinted into your soul it seems. One of your last memories was falling into the water. It's a pretty reasonable fear."

She shrugged. "A part of me wants to see what we are flying over. I bet it's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as the sea in the Real World," Quorra said after she had taken a sip from her drink. "There is no sun here. There are no trees, or grass, or flowers."

"Maybe someone can photoshop it in," Janelle suggested.

"What's that?"

"An art program," Sam answered. "I've seen some amazing things done with it."

"Can we get Photoshop for our Grid?" Quorra asked.

"My sister is very good with it," Janelle said.

"I'll think about it." Sam could commission Lisa Harper into creating the right kind of art work and Sam could work that into the code and add that to the Grid. His father was able to make it rain on his grid but he did not bring in the sun or the stars. His father was a programmer and a dreamer, but maybe he needed a different kind of dreamer, an artist.

"How's life for you?" Janelle asked.

"I've been fixing my father's Grid," Sam answered. "I've drawn up my ideas for a few games, been working at ENCOM for a week now. I'm still riding my father's Ducati. I've adopted a dog."

"A dog?" Janelle perked up on that. She always did like animals. "What kind?"

"French Bulldog," Sam answered with a smile. "He's a great guy. I got him at a rescue shelter."

"I can just kiss you for that," Janelle said and took another sip from her drink. "Has he been neutered?"

"Yep." Sam nodded.

"Do you make sure to take him in for his yearly check up? Does he get all his core shots, distemper, parovirus, hepatitis, rabies—"

"Yeah," Sam was a little affronted that she was asking such questions and then he remembered what she was going to do with her life. "Janelle was going to be a veterinarian."

"A doctor for animals," Quorra said and nodded.

"I took a lot of different zoology classes at college." Janelle had a smile on her face as she remembered. "I want to be able to know the anatomy and physiology of a great number of animals. I want to be able to treat dogs and cats of course, but also rabbits, rodents, ferrets, birds, reptiles, amphibians and even farm animals."

"I thought rabbits were rodents," Quorra said and glanced at Sam.

"Hey I'm not the animal expert." Sam pointed at his friend. "Janelle is."

"What else can you tell me?" Quorra asked.

"You shouldn't pick up a frog with dry hands," Janelle said. "Our dry skin can cause irritation."

Sam slowly sipped his drink and listened to Janelle as she rattled off various animal facts. There were some that he knew, but there were a lot he did not. He glanced over at Quorra who absorbed the facts with rapt attention. She barely touched her drink.

"It's so amazing," the ISO said. "I'm sorry you died." She did not see or hear Sam as he coughed and sputtered. "You are really nice and you know a lot about animals. You would make a great animal doctor."

"Thank you."

"Sam," dad's voice whispered behind him. "What's going on?"

"Just chilling," Sam answered.

"Cool," Flynn said. "Janelle isn't going to mind if we just talked alone? You, Quorra and I?"

"What is it about?" Sam asked. He didn't want to leave Janelle alone.

"Just about my Grid," Dad answered.

"I'll tell her." He turned to the ladies. "Q, dad wants to talk to us about the Grid."

"Oh," Quorra said as she stood up. "What about Janelle?"

"He wants to talk to just the two of us," Sam said. "You're going to be okay, J?"

"I'll be fine," Janelle said and sipped some more of her drink.

"I'll mention your photoshop idea," Sam said as he stepped out of the depression.

* * *

Tron had felt better after speaking with Alan and having his fractured bit of code fixed. Now that he had no worry of Rinzler resurfacing he could speak with Janelle and maybe even let Sam and Quorra know what happened.

Janelle was alone when he returned to the depression. She had an half full glass of energy next to her and she was talking to her self. She was saying sentences and some of them made sense to Tron, but he did not quite make sense of it all.

"We are on the raggedy edge?" He asked when he was standing over her.

"Oh," Janelle gasped. "No not us. It was the characters in a television show and movie. I was just quoting what I remembered from the trailer and from the fans who quoted it at ENCOM."

He nodded and sat down next to her. "I know of some of the different forms of User entertainment. Trailers are like commercials for movies?"

"Exactly."

"Did you enjoy the movie?"

"I never got to see it." Her smile faded. "I was looking forward to it. I couldn't wait for the summer to end so Adrian and I could see Serenity."

Tron clenched his hands. "You died during the summer."

She sighed. "I know what happened. I know what he did to the characters and as usual I hate him and love him for it at the same time." Her voice grew softer. "I just wish I could have seen it. There is no way for me to watch whole movies or even whole episodes at ENCOM. I can read books. I was able to finish the Harry Potter series because a few employees brought the books with them to read on break and left them overnight in their cubicles."

"I'm sorry you never got to see this Serenity."

"It's not just the movie. Adrian and I were going to have a future together. We were looking forward to getting our own place. We'd start out in a decent apartment while I went to veterinary school. He would work at ENCOM. He would wait for the right moment to propose to me. We always talked about the possibility of marriage and even children. After I got my license we would move to a house and I would seek out work. At the time I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do."

"You wanted to be a veterinarian."

"I didn't know what kind I would be. Would I have my own practice, or partner up with someone or work for a chain associated with a pet store, or work at a no kill animal shelter. There were many possibilities." She shook her head. "And I blew it because I wanted a good view of the stars."

"Don't blame yourself for what happened. You had no idea."

"I shouldn't have leaned over like that. Everyone was pretty tipsy at the time. I caused everyone so much pain, Adrian, my family, my friends, Alan and Sam."

"Don't say that." He grabbed her shoulders but she shrugged him off.

"I remember the rescue team trying to bring me back. Adrian was standing over me. He kept saying. 'You got to make it. You're going to make it. We are going to see Serenity.'" Tears were streaming out of the corners of her eyes. "' Don't leave me, Janelle, I love you. Your going to be the best vet. We got the whole future ahead of us. Don't leave me.'" She wiped away at her tears. "I didn't want to leave him. I didn't want to leave anyone. I saw Kathleen and Heather. They were holding each other because they were crying so hard. I tried to get back inside my body, but it just wouldn't stick. Why couldn't I be strong? Why couldn't I have stayed?" She was shaking as she sobbed.

"Shhh," Tron held her. She did not shake him off this time. "You are strong. Death is more powerful than the strongest User." He stroked her back. "I was the one who wasn't strong. I couldn't defeat Clu. I couldn't resist his hacking of my code."

"You are always strong to me," she spoke after a few nanoseconds. "You were my childhood hero. You are still me hero."

"Hero's don't become the villain."

"They do. Some by choice others are forced into it. Like you were."

"Only the flawed ones," Tron said softly. "Like me."

"Having flaws make a person real."

"It means I'm not perfect."

"Nobody is perfect, Tron. Who wants perfection anyway? Perfect is boring."

"Flynn did." So did Clu, but Tron didn't want to think about him.

"Well Mr. Flynn was an idiot."

He just stared at her. Flynn was one of the smartest Users that he had met. Nothing about him was idiotic, unless she was not being serious and was sarcastic. That had to be it. She made a joke, and on a second thinking it did sound a little funny.

"Is that a smile?" Janelle asked.

"No," Tron couldn't contain his laughter and it came out in a small half snort, half laugh.

"Mr. Big and powerful security program has a sense of humor." She was smiling.

"I haven't smiled or laughed in a while."

"You should do that more often. You have a nice smile and makes you less like a robot and more like a human."

"Makes me more like a User?"

"Yeah."

He stared into her warm brown eyes and smiled again. "I do feel different." He stared up at the sky. "I'd love to show you the beauty of what we are flying though, but I know you have a great fear."

"At first." Janelle rose to her feet. "I keep forgetting there is nothing to be afraid of. You can't kill the dead."

Tron held out his hand. "I'll hold on to you."

"Thank you," Janelle said as she accepted his hand.

They walked to the side of the ship. Tron pointed out several sights to her while he admired the beauty himself.

"I dreamed of visiting this place when I was a kid," Janelle said. "I never imagined it would be this beautiful."

"It is, although from the descriptions I heard, your world is more beautiful. I can understand why you would want to have a better view of the stars. Flynn told me how they shimmered and sparkled."

"They do that."

Tron's smile grew larger. "When programs become romantic are circuitry turns violet and shimmering sparks form around us." He looked up at the sky. "Flynn said he wanted to bring stars to his Grid. He wanted to fill the sky with love."

"That's beautiful and poetic."

"I think there might have been another reason why you were afraid," Tron said after a few nanoseconds. "You feel alive again."

"I may feel that way, but it's impossible."

"You said the dead didn't feel." He studied her face. "They don't taste. You do."

"But my body is gone."

"Something happened when you were first digitized. Something else happened when you received your Identity Disk. Something jumped from my hand into the disk. I think somehow, by some miracle it gave you a new body."

"Impossible."

"Janelle listen to me. Before Flynn arrived many programs stopped believing in Users. He told me that Users had beliefs. They looked up to a high power and you haunted ENCOM as a ghost and you were brought over here. There are more things in our worlds than we could imagine."

"There are more things in heaven and earth that are dreamt of your philosophy," she had whispered the words and stared at her hands. "Could this be real?"

"It certainly feels real." He ran his fingers through her hair and tucked away a few stray strands.

She smiled and embraced him before she rested her head against his chest and watched the view.

* * *

**A/N: **

There was a romantic scene between Tron and Yori that was deleted from the first movie. As Yori ran her fingers along his circuits they turned purple. The sparks are from the 4th draft of the script.

Janelles animal facts are true. Rabbits are part of an Order called Lagomorpha. Frogs do not like to be held by dry hands.

Not 100 percent true what breed Marv is. French Bulldogs and Boston Terriers look so much a like. For this fic verse he's a French bulldog.

The play Janelle quoted from is Hamlet.


	14. Within the Firewall

**Restitution**

_Chapter 14: Within the Firewall_

_

* * *

_

Once again Alan found himself alone. Kevin excused himself to speak with his son and Quorra, and Tron walked off to another part of the Sailer. Janelle was probably in the same location as before where she was still hiding.

"Might as well see what they are doing," Alan said as he stood up. "Once this mess gets fixed, I'm going to have to come back here. I have to show this to Lora and Jet."

"That's not a good idea," Kevin's voice was heard from behind him.

"Why isn't a good idea?" Alan asked. "And why are you back here?"

"Figured I give the kids some alone time," Kevin answered. "This place isn't safe."

"Not now it isn't, but once we destroy this Osiris and his army it would be peaceful."

"Until something else shows up."

"ENCOM's systems were free from the MCP for nearly thirty years."

"There will always be something."

"Why are you being so pessimistic?" Alan stared at the space where he imagined his friend's spirit was floating. "You were always ecstatic about this world. You tried to tell Lora and me about it. You told it to our kids. This place is gorgeous and once we get rid of Osiris we will have people lining up to visit this place, if they knew about it."

"They can't know."

"Not everyone," Alan said. There were a lot of people in the real world who were corrupt and would try to twist and reshape the Grid to suit their purposes. "These places just need tougher security. Sam, Adrian and I and whole team could develop stronger security programs and now that my Tron is fixed he could train them and lead them."

"Maybe."

"What do you mean maybe?" Alan asked and pointed at the space. "It wasn't Tron's fault that he became corrupted."

"No it wasn't," Kevin sighed. "It was my fault. Clu was all my fault."

"Damn it, Kevin Flynn get a hold of your spiritual self. I have had it with everyone blaming themselves. It's not Tron's fault he became this Rinzler, it's not Janelle's fault that she died and it certainly isn't your fault that Clu turned against you." Alan turned around and exhaled deeply through his nostrils.

"Alan?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. I hadn't gone through a bout of self-doubt in a while."

"Don't mention it." Alan decided to check in on Janelle.

"No thank you for everything," Kevin said as his voice followed him behind. "I never thanked you for helping to raise Sam."

"Don't need to mention it. What were you talking about with Sam and Quorra?"

"Making repairs to the grid and add a few things that I wanted to add, like a moon and stars and then a sun. They brought up the fact that that we could use an artist."

"They do tend to see things that the rest of us don't." Alan paused when he saw that Janelle was no longer hiding and was standing next to Tron.

"Were you the one that taught him to ride?"

"Taught him everything that you told me," Alan said and focused on his Tron and Janelle. He listened as Janelle sang about being a pirate's life and watched as Tron just stared at her with a bemused smile.

"What is she singing?" Kevin asked. "I know heard that before."

"It's from Pirates of the Caribbean."

"The ride?"

"And the movies."

"The movies?" Kevin asked in a you-got-to-be-kidding-me tone. "They made a movie based on the ride?"

"Three movies," Alan answered. "In fact the fourth one is coming out this upcoming summer."

"Man."

"It surprised me." Alan turned back to face them.

"How long?" Janelle asked. "How long have you both been listening?"

"Just now," Alan answered.

"She was singing about User pirates," Tron explained. "They stole from other Users, but this was long ago before programs."

"Back in the pre-cyberian days," Janelle confirmed. "Sorry. I don't know what we should call it."

"Pre-cyberian works," Kevin said.

"She was also going to sing songs by the User called Joss Whedon," Tron explained.

"From that one episode of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_?" Alan asked. He never really got into the series but he did know of the musical episode.

"_Buffy the Vampire Slayer_?" Kevin asked in the same tone he used when he heard about the Pirate movies. "What kind of name of a series is this, unless it's a cartoon."

"Not a cartoon," Janelle said as she cast an annoyed glance at what she had to have thought to be Kevin's direction.

"You are not one to talk," Alan said. "You did name your most ground breaking game, Space Paranoids."

"Yeah, but that's a different."

"How?" Alan asked as the same time as Janelle and Tron had.

"Not important," Flynn said. "We are docking."

"Alan," Quorra ran up to them. "Sam is getting the clearance to enter. We all have to be present."

"Do we need any pass codes?" Tron asked.

"Not when we have three Users with us," Quorra answered.

"More like four," Alan said. "They won't know that, but it's true." He followed after the kids with the certainty that is friend was following.

* * *

They had gotten to the Solar Sailer simulator too late. Tron and the Users had already left leaving only a couple of workers at the platform.

Osiris left his ship along with Regor and walked around the platform. He stared at the two workers who were held back by the guards. He stared past the dock and out at the Sea of Simulation.

"Your new master wants to know if you sent out a Sailer, recently," Regor said as he glared into the eyes of the frightened workers.

"We sent several out in the past cycle," one of the workers said.

"Did you send any out after we went into lock down?" Regor asked and held up his own disk.

"We received notice of lock down after the last sailer was sent out."

"You are not answering what I'm asking," Regor said as he tapped his disk on one of the shoulder's of the workers.

"We are answering everything," the other worker said.

"Regor," Osiris said in an exasperated tone. "The reason they are not answering the question properly is because you not asking the right question." He marched right up to the workers and grabbed one by the neck. "Have you seen any Users recently and have you given them controls to a Sailer?"

"Users?" One of the workers blinked. "Users don't come down here."

"Five of them," the other one said.

Osiris straightened himself and looked at the worker who was willing to talk.

"Five Users?" Regor asked.

"What are you doing?" The talker's co-worker asked. "You never betray Users."

"None of them are my User," the talker said.

"That's besides the point."

"I aint getting derezzed."

"Where are they?" Osiris asked.

"You heard your master," Regor said. "Now where are there five Users?"

"That is not important," Osiris snapped. Regor had to ask stupid questions at the worst time.

"I don't know if all five were Users," the talker said. "The young male with blond hair said he was one."

"What did they others look like?" Regor asked and did not seem to notice as Osiris was glaring at him in frustration.

"Two others were male. If they both were Users then one was the father of the other. The other two were female. One had short dark hair and the other had dark reddish brown hair.

"It's them."

"I'm glad we have that confirmed," Osiris said in a sarcastic tone. "Since there are hundreds of Users in the system."

"When did they leave?" Regor asked.

"110 nanoseconds ago."

"Jokes on you," the non-talker said. "They have made it past the Firewall. They are safe."

"So it would appear," Osiris said as he walked on the deck of the platform. He stared out across the Sea and back at his minion

"Master?" Regor looked at him with a malicious glint in his eyes. "Should we have them de-rezzed?"

"No," the talker said as he tried to break free. "I told you everything. Spare me at least."

"You see?" The other one stared at him in disgust. "Ratting out the Users got you nowhere."

"No one is getting derezzed," Osiris said as he studied the controls. "Repurpose them. They both will be more useful for me when they give me the password to get through the Firewall."

"Why repurpose?" Regor asked as he pointed at the talker. "This one is willing to tell us what we want to know."

"And you think he is going to talk now?" Osiris asked. He was going to have a small word with his number one about being to hasty with the threaten to de-rezz. "By repurposing we will have a guarantee that they will tell us everything we want to know."

"Even with the password you still won't get in," the non-talker said. "Do you think they will let you in looking like that?"

Osiris glanced down at himself. "You do have a point. If we looked like the ones that belong then we will get in."

"Master?" Regor stared at him.

"Disguise," Osiris tried to explain. "We will pretend what we are not. That theater owner has proved himself somewhat useful by giving me the idea." He turned back to the Sea.

Something floated towards him, something tiny and twinkling. He reached out and caught it. It was a fleck of data. Osiris looked up and saw more.

"What is our next move?" Regor asked.

"Work on getting the password and disguising our soldiers," Osiris ordered as he grabbed another fleck. "Once we have it we will send a group to the firewall. You will be with them. I will follow close behind."

"Yes, master," Regor said as he bowed. "I do have a questions, master. Why haven't we tried this before?"

"We been making attempts with the sailer and the wall. Who do you think we have been fighting?" How could his minion have forgotten so soon that their forces had to right against countless other programs who had blocked off the sailer ports for cycles?

"I'm sorry, master."

"One more thing," Osiris said as held up the flecks.

"Yes, Master?"

"Help me catch more of these." He held out the flecks to his minion. "They will prove to be useful."

* * *

Tron kept his guard up, even though they were in the part of the system that was secure. He had taken notice that all security programs had blue light of various tints and shades and they were jus casual as they walked by and glanced at the citizens.

The rest of the programs were more out in the open and more relaxed than those with in the corrupted part. Several were talking about joining up with the outsiders of a different Grid and fighting along the side of the User. Others just wanted to stay where it is safe and not have to worry about being forced in any games or being rectified.

"They don't understand," Quorra said as they passed by another group that only wanted to hide and stay hidden. "They can't hide forever. They just can't depend on others to fight for them."

"Not everyone is a fighter," Sam told her.

"Where are we going?" Alan asked. "Where are these fighters that we are to join up with?"

"We are going to Codebreakers," Sam explained.

"What's that?" Alan asked him.

"A night club," Sam explained. "Before dad told us to go into the corrupted area we were looking for Arc. He's a recruiter of sorts."

Codebreakers was packed with hundreds of programs that were either talking, drinking, or dancing or both. With this amount of programs that usually meant trouble as far as Tron was concerned.

"Where will we find this Arc?" Tron asked as several female programs smiled at him. He ignored them.

"Arc said he will find us," Sam answered as he looked up and down and all around.

"I hope it will be soon," Tron answered. He didn't like this place. He nearly bumped into two female programs who were chatting with each other. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be," the program said and turned back to her friend. "I can't believe Dal is going out with Zasa. Doesn't he know how User friendly she is? He's more than likely going to catch a virus from her."

Tron fought to keep from rolling his eyes. He could not believe how superficial these programs were behaving. Did they not realize how close they were to danger. They either had a great deal of faith in the Firewall or they did not care.

"Hey I know this song," Janelle said as a new song changed. "They are playing our songs."

"User music," Quorra said with a smile. "Sam, let's dance."

"Now?" Sam raised his brows.

"Yes." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the dance floor.

"I need a dance partner," Janelle said as she grabbed Tron's hand. "I haven't really danced in years."

"I don't dance," Tron told her. There was a time when he used to, but that was a long time ago.

"Oh fine." She turned to Alan. "Would you like to dance?"

"Not my kind of music," Alan said before he nodded at Tron. "You dance with her."

"Are you certain?" Tron blinked.

"Just one song. I promise."

"Just one song." He was going to hold her to that. He followed her to the dance floor and tried to mimic the moves she was doing. It had been far too long and he was certain he looked ridiculous.

"That was fun," Quorra said when the song was over.

"We need to resume or search for this Arc," Tron said and headed off the dance floor. He couldn't believe he was roped into dancing.

"We should get some drinks for everyone," Quorra said and headed straight for the bar.

"I'll give you a hand," Janelle told her.

"Well what do we have here?" A male program asked in an arrogant tone. He had just turned around from the table he was at and came face to face with Janelle. "You have an acute appearance."

"Thanks?" Janelle said.

"Haven't seen you around the system before," the young program said. "Have you just recently been written and formatted?"

Tron did not like the way that the male was speaking to Janelle. Neither did Alan who was also glaring at his direction.

"Is he bothering you?" Quorra asked Janelle.

"Ah you have a friend," the arrogant program said with a big smile on his face. "Also quite lovely."

"I can handle this," Janelle said to the ISO before she turned to the program. "Sorry but I'm not interested and my friend is seeing someone."

"Don't have me written off so soon," the program said. "I'm called Kash. My User is the head of Sales at ENCOM."

"And?"

"I'm able to process money orders faster than any other program in sales," Kash said.

"Whoop-de-do," Janelle said and turned to walk away.

"Don't walk away from me," Kash said and stepped in front of her.

"I told you I'm not interested," Janelle stepped past him. "Now log off."

"Oh come on." Kash grabbed her by the arm. "There is this great private place off grid where-"

Quorra smacked his hand away from Janelle's arm. "Didn't you hear her?"

"Yeah," Janelle added. "Go derezz in a firewall."

"No program talks to me that way."

"I got news for you pal. I'm no program. I am a User."

"Leave her alone," Alan said as he stepped in between them. "I know who your User is and he is just as pompous as you."

"Step back you worn out-" Kash didn't get to finish his sentence.

Tron struck him hard in the face, knocking the program out. He looked up and saw several angry programs, more than likely friends of Kash.

"Get him," one of them said.

"Fight," someone else screamed.

Tron blocked their fists and struck back. He ducked and dodged their attacks.

"Son of a bitch," Sam said as he joined the fray and struck another program in the face. "This isn't what I had in mind."

"Neither did I," Tron said as he ducked another fist. He was trying to avoid using his disks. He was relieved to not feel Rinzler trying to resurface. Alan had fixed him.

Out of the corner of his eye Tron saw another program, clad in a large white robe, as he jumped and somersaulted around the room. The robed figure struck at several of the programs, instantly knocking them out. He moved with the strength and the grace of a security program.

The fight had ended within a few nanoseconds. Several of the rowdy programs including Kash and his friends were knocked out. Quorra was standing over one with her disk in hand. Alan was rubbing the side of his head and Janelle was rubbing her knuckles.

"What happened?" The robed figure asked in a deep voice.

"That's what I want to know," Sam said.

"Kash was trying to hit on a newly formatted program," the bartender said and pointed at Janelle "She was clearly not interested."

The robed figure nodded. He walked over to Janelle and studied. "She is not a program." He waited until the crowd had stopped gasping. "She is a User."

"How do you know?" Janelle asked.

"Because I heard you tell Kash." He pulled back his hood revealing a bald head. "I am Arc."


	15. Freedom Fighters

**Restitution**

_Chapter 15: Freedom Fighters_

_

* * *

_

"Arc?" Alan repeated the name and tried to ignore the pain he felt in his head. He was too old to be getting involved in a bar fight and thinking back on it there was only one other time when he did get involved. It was Kevin's fault of course. They were celebrating their success with both finding the evidence that Kevin needed and destroying the MCP. They both had one too many beers to drink and Kevin mouthed off to one person he shouldn't have mouthed off too.

"That is me," Arc said as he continued to look at Alan. "You are also a User, the same as the boy."

"Excuse me?" Sam asked and raised his eyebrows. "I'm not really a boy."

"Where were you?" Quorra asked as she stared at Arc. "We were looking for you."

"Seeking out potential fighters," Arc explained.

"None of us want to fight," someone in the crowd said. "Why do you keep looking for new recruits?"

"Not everyone wants to hide in the safety of their circuitry," Arc said as he paced around the floor. "There are some who understand that we need to fight. We need to purge the system of corruption."

"For our Users," another person shouted and raised their fist.

"Precisely," Arc said as he nodded toward him.

"Not all of us are security rograms," a third person said.

"Not all who fight are." The man in the robe pointed to Quorra. "She is not a security program."

"Isn't she a User?" A woman asked.

"I'm not sure what I am now," Quorra said as she looked around the group. "But I have fought in the past and will continue to fight. Shouldn't the fact that there are Users here give you a sign of hope, to encourage you to take a stand?"

"We also have someone else here," Alan said. He remembered how the crowd at the arena had reacted when they learned that Tron was one of the fighters. "We have the legendary warrior. One of the greatest security programs that have ever been developed." He pointed at his program. "Tron has returned."

The crowd gasped again and turned to where Tron stood.

"It is him," someone said.

"We are saved," another person added.

"He abandoned us," a third person said and stood up at a table. "I've been told stories about the great warrior, Tron. They told me he worked with a User and destroyed the legendary beast, the Master Control Program." He glared. "I also been told you disappeared. You left us to go and join a different system, to be their warrior."

"That Grid was created by my friend," Alan said. "A single User had created their own Grid on their own. He didn't have the help of others to help create it. He did it all on his own and he needed a powerful warrior to help protect it. Tron was his friend and Kevin Flynn asked if I would loan him to him. You want to get mad at anyone you get mad at me."

"This other world also has many capable warriors," Quorra said. "They are willing to assist us. They want to help and fight for the Users."

"I have seen the MCP up close," Tron said. "I have battled against him. I have been told how he started out as a chess program, but he grew, more and more were added to him." He walked up to Quorra and simply nodded at her and waited until she nodded back to continue. "Do we know if Osiris will become something like him? No we don't. The data on him is insufficient at this time. What we do know is that he is ruthless. He has taken over most of this system. He won't stop until it is completely under his control."

"You all do not have to fight," Arc said. "But even if you don't, then you might know of some ore a few who can and are willing to do so. Spread the word. Have those who want to take up arms to meet at the archive. I will send someone to retrieve you and come to where we have gathered." He slowly spun around. "Those who wish to join us now and fight will follow us now."

A few people in the club cheered, some others clapped and others simply just set their glasses down and approached the doorway.

"Certainly gets through to people," Alan said. He approached Sam and Janelle. "How are you two holding up?"

"Knuckles don't hurt as much," Janelle said. "How about you're head?"

"I no longer feel any pain," Alan said. He felt something, but it wasn't pain.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked. "Alan, if you are in any kind of pain."

"I told you I was fine," Alan answered. "Kevin if you are listening, what are you planning?"

"I don't have many plans," Kevin told him.

"Why haven't you told anyone anything?" Alan asked.

"I knew Sam wouldn't go to the theater if he knew Tron was going to be there," Kevin answered. "Can say the same about your program. I'm guessing he is no longer moody?"

"He's gotten over his emo attitude," Janelle said.

"He does seem to be better now that I fixed his code," Alan added before Kevin could ask what emo meant.

"Sam, I need you to trust him," Kevin said. "You have faith in Alan's abilities. You can trust the both of us when it comes to Tron."

"We'll see how this plays out," Sam said and walked off in the same direction as Arc, Tron, Quorra and those who wish to fight.

"I believe in you guys," Janelle said and turned towards Sam. "I trust Tron."

"At least she does," Alan said softly.

"I'm kind of hoping she does something more," Kevin said in an unusual tone. It was the tone he used when he was plotting something.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. You better catch up."

Alan ran up ahead. He will discuss the issue with his dead friend later.

* * *

Osiris stared at the various bits of corrupted data on his lab table. The scans were showing such interesting results. They contained data on something called Rinzler and there were tiny flecks of code to access and activate this Rinzler.

"Fascinating," Osiris said as he continued to study and read it.

"I have good news to report," Regor said as he entered and paused to bow.

"What have you to tell me?" Osiris asked. He did not bother to look up from his research.

"Those Solar Sailer platform works have been reformatted," Regor said. "They were easy, being small minded that they were."

"I wouldn't go around and comment about other program's intelligence levels if I were you." He looked up at his number one. "Have you gotten the password?"

"Several."

"Excellent. Have those repurposed workers create a new Sailer, but before you leave I want to know more about Rinzler."

"I have already found information on Rinzler," Regor said. "I found on my own time."

"You have?" Osiris grinned.

"Found a few stray programs that came across the border from a very secluded system. They knew all about him and I have written down everything they told me."

"You have exceeded my expectations for this cycle. Prepare the Sailer at once. I will have my ship follow behind and I will read about this Rinzler."

"Would you want me to gather more of those flecks of loose data?" Regor asked. Just when he had raised his image in front of Osiris he had lowered it within a few nanos.

"Of course," Osiris strained himself form sighing. He shouldn't be too cross. Soon he will have breached the Firewall. Soon he will have the ghostly User and the warrior program, known as Tron. He will have complete control of the system and that will be the first step.

* * *

Arc had let them on a long walk and this worried Tron a little, mostly for the health and safety of his User. He didn't know how long it would take for Alan to get worn out and winded. He also noticed that Alan had a small cut on his head. He wished he had some energy with him. He could put a little on the wound. That should heal it.

"Are you well?" Tron asked Alan after a few nanoseconds.

"I'm fine," Alan answered. "I wish everyone would stop worrying."

"You are bleeding." Tron was a bit fascinated with blood. Programs did not leak like Users did and seeing it both amazed and worried Tron. It meant that a User was injured. Tron had first seen blood when Flynn accidentally cut himself once and used the Sea of Simulation to clean the injury. Flynn had told them that if too much leaked out then a User would die. It was the site of blood that halted Tron when he was Rinzler from further hurting Sam.

"It's just a little cut." Alan said and placed his hand over it. "Not too long, or wide, or deep. It has already started to clot."

"I wonder where we are going," Janelle had said. "Been walking a while."

"Not sure myself," Tron answered. He hadn't noticed until now that he was holding her hand. "Let me know when you get tired."

"Why?" Janelle asked. "Are you going to carry me?"

Tron shrugged. "I might."

"Don't worry about me, the dead don't need to rest." She chuckled. "Which is kind of funny, cause we used to joke back in college that we will sleep when we are dead."

"Not a funny joke," Tron said to her. "Especially now."

"Just meant that we had so much to do that we really didn't have much time to sleep. We also joked about sticking an IV full of coffee into our veins."

"Flynn told me those are like circuits."

"Kind of." Janelle agreed.

"Have you thought more about my theory?"

"Yeah." She rubbed the back of her head. "Don't know how to confirm that."

"You could give your Identity Disk to Alan. He could examine it with Flynn's help and they would be able to figure it out."

"Probably once we reach this location."

They continued walking out past the main Grid to the outlands. As they continued to walk, Tron looked up and around. He saw strange dwellings and programs peering out at them.

"We are not alone," Tron said as he reached for his disks.

"Relax." Alan placed a hand on his shoulder. "These might be the other Freedom Fighters."

"We are here," Arc said and stopped. "We will give armor to those who are not equipped.

"How much training do we need?" Quorra asked. "Those who do not have any but wish to fight?"

"We will start with them immediately." Arc removed his robes. "Those who have some training will be shown to my top two lieutenants."

"Lieutenants?" Sam asked.

"That would be us," a strangely familiar voice said as a program approached them. He was followed by a female. Both were wearing helmets that obstructed the view of their faces, yet they were very familiar.

Tron stared at the female. Her armor did not have much glowing blue circuits, but her chest did have a light blue triangle shape in the center. She was also the same height and built as—no. It couldn't be, it just couldn't be her.

"Tron?" The female asked. There was no mistaken the sound of her voice.

"Yori?" Tron gasped.

"It is you." The helmet retracted revealing the beautiful face of Yori with her golden hair free from any bindings and brushing against her shoulders. "Oh my User, it is you."

They ran up to each other and embraced.

"I dreamed of this day," Tron told her.

"I thought you had been derezzed," Yori said. "So many megacycles had passed when we last communicated."

He smiled. "It appears I'm pretty hard to kill."

"Mrs. Bradley?" Sam asked.

"Sam, Janelle, this is Yori," Tron introduced them. "And these are my friends, Janelle, Quorra and Sam. He's the son of Flynn."

"Hi," Sam said.

"The Yori," Janelle gasped.

"Hello," Quorra said and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"You have to meet my User." Tron brought her to where Alan was standing. "Alan, look."

"Lora?" Alan stared at them and blinked. "You were one of Lora's programs."

"He does share some resemblance with you," Yori said.

"I can't believe I'm meeting you," Janelle said. Her eyes were full of admiration. "You were one of my child hood heroes. I wanted to grow up to be just like you."

"My father told stories to Janelle and I," Sam explained. "He told us about your heroic exploits."

"I think Flynn may have embellished my role a little," Yori said with a smile.

"My User married your User," Tron told her.

"They did?" She smiled at Alan before she looked at Tron again. There was something off about her smile, it seemed a little faded and not as sincere.

"We have a son," Alan added. "His name is Jethro, but he likes to be called Jet. He's helping Lora out in Washington."

"I have a feeling he is as handsome as his father," Yori said and turned to Sam. "I see a bit of Flynn in your face."

"There is some," Sam agreed. "But I've been told I got more of my looks from my mother."

"I guess I'm fried data," the male program said. His tone was upbeat and a little laid back. He didn't seem to be upset at all.

"I know you." Tron said as he studied the other program. He had more circuitry than the others.

"Not quite as you remember." The helmet retracted from his face. There was no mistaking that smile.

"Ram," Tron gasped. "But how? You were derezzed."

"Most of me," Ram explained and ran his fingers through his blond curly hair. "There were just a few bits of data that returned to my User at the insurance agency. He gathered them up and rewrote me. I don't remember it all, but just enough."

"It's a miracle," Tron said as he grasped the arm of his old friend. It was time for reintroductions again. He turned to his User and friends. "Alan, Sam, Janelle, Quorra. This is Ram."

"Ram?" Alan asked. "You kind of remind me of the guy that used to borrow popcorn from me."

"I do?" Ram asked as he raised his eyebrow.

"I thought he-" Sam started.

"The reports of my demise have been extremely confirmed," Ram said. "I'm more of a second version with some of my original data."

"Oh, you are Ram 2.0?" Sam asked.

"You can say that."

"How long have you been here?" Tron asked.

"Since the invasion," Yori explained. "Ram and I tried to fight back along with several others but it wasn't enough. We met up with Arc and then the Firewall appeared. We rescued as many programs as we could."

"Thank Alan for that," Sam said.

"Not just me," Alan told them. "It was a joint effort with Adrian and several others."

"I'm sure we have a lot of catching up to do," Ram said. "But first how about we download a little and relax. We have plenty of energy."

"You should get that looked at," Yori said as she pointed at Alan's cut.

"I tried telling him that," Tron said. "He wouldn't listen."

"It could be serious," Yori said and looked into Alan's eyes. "You have to get that treated."

Alan stared back at Yori and blinked. "If you insist."

"Why didn't he listen to me?" Tron asked.

"Forget it," Sam said and glanced at Janelle. She smiled and nodded back. It must be something that only Users understood.

"I could go for some Energy," Tron said and smiled at his two friends that he had thought he had lost.


	16. Miracle

**Restitution**

_Chapter 16: Miracle_

_

* * *

_

Alan tried not to flinch as the medic took a cloth and dabbed it at his cut. It didn't sting, just felt weird at first before the cool energy came in contact with the wound. The odd feeling turned to a soothing one and little itchy. Itchy meant that it was healing.

"I never gotten a chance to heal a User before," the medic said. "I'm not sure how this is reacting to your structure."

"Reacting quite well," Alan assured her. "I believe it is speeding up the healing process."

"That's great," the medic said and poured more of the energy from her canteen into a glass. "This should also help." She handed it to him.

"Thank you," Alan said and took a sip from his drink. Once again he felt great, more than great he actually felt pumped.

"Stuff in a glass tastes great," Kevin said. "Best is when it comes from a spring."

"I have to agree with you," Alan said and took another drink.

"Pardon?" The medic stared at him. "I didn't say anything for you to agree with."

"You can't hear him?" Alan asked.

"She can't," Kevin said.

"I don't hear anything." She stared at Alan as if there was something wrong with him for a second before she smiled. "Must be a User thing." She took a few steps away. "I hope you don't mind, but I have to go and check my supplies, make certain there is enough energy."

"Don't need to apologize for doing your job," Alan said. He turned to the direction where he heard Kevin's voice. "What do you mean she couldn't hear you?"

"It's as I said. She couldn't hear me."

"Do you switch off and on who can hear you and who can't?" Alan asked.

"Wished it could be that simple. Only Users can hear me."

"Quorra can hear you," Alan said. "Tron can certainly hear you as well."

"Quorra is not like the other programs," Kevin explained. "She was not created by a User. She rose out of the Sea of Simulation, just like the other ISO's."

"ISO," Alan repeated. He had heard that term before. Tron had called Quorra that when they were about to escape on the Solar Sailer.

"Remember that night I came to your house?" Kevin asked. "It was a few days before I was trapped in my Grid."

"I remember." Alan was never going to forget that night.

* * *

Jet had a stomach flu and Lora was with him in the bedroom while Alan was preparing some medicine. The sound of fists drumming at the door caused him to stop.

"I've cracked it," Flynn greeted him. "I have cracked it."

"Flynn," Alan had greeted his friend. "I have a bit of a family situation here."

"I'm sorry but this is big," Flynn said. He was excited about something. "Everything is going to change."

"You can tell me this scientific break through another time." He did not have time to deal with one of Flynn's crazy ideas. "Jet is sick."

"Oh." Flynn's smile faded. "I might be able to help with that."

"How with another one of your absurd stories?" Alan asked in a clipped tone.

"No, something has changed. A miracle has happened. Everything is going to be changed. How we perceive science, religion, and medicine. I've even got the quantum teleportation thing down. I have cracked it man."

"What are you talking about?"

"Isometric algorithms. Special programs that are free willed and think for themselves."

"That is a great idea." Alan had enough but he paused to think about it. "Actually that is a bad idea. Isn't that what the MCP?"

"He was created by a User, humans. These just were created."

"Not now."

"You still have that pager? Keep it all the time, sleep with it if you have to."

"We'll talk about it more at work," Alan said. "Go home to your son. I have to take care of mine." He closed the door and returned to treating Jet.

* * *

"I was short with you," Alan said. He remembered how the guilt tore into him after Kevin had disappeared.

"You had a sick little boy to worry about," Kevin said. "And you can never be short with me. You stand a few inches taller than me."

Alan had to smile at that. "You are saying that Quorra is one of these free willed programs?"

"Created by the Sea of Simulation," Kevin continued. "So curious about everything and they enjoy learning. Now I have no idea if it's just ISOs that have been outside to the Real World or ISOs in general."

"Tron is not an ISO."

"No he isn't. He's the best program you have designed."

"Then how can he hear you?"

"When I died several pieces of me flew across my Grid. One of those pieces flew into Tron."

"Part of you is part of him now."

"Exactly and we have company."

Alan turned around to see that Janelle was standing in front of them with a curious expression on her face. She had her disk in her hands.

"Is something wrong?" Alan asked.

"Could you look at the data on this?" Janelle asked.

"What's wrong with your disk?" Kevin asked.

"Nothing, but there is something I need to know," Janelle answered. "I think it will explain why I am no longer floating or going through objects, why I can feel, why all my senses are working. I just need to know."

"Sure," Alan took her disk from her. "Not sure what I'll find." He ran his finger over the disk until was able to see the readings and information on her. Janelle's disk was different from Tron's for obvious reasons. Alan was certain that every disk was different, each unique in their own way, like fingerprints.

"Interesting," Kevin said. He was also looking. "Uh sorry. I know how you hate it when someone looks over your shoulder at the monitor."

"Not for this," Alan said. "I may need your help." The Disk covered Janelle's stats and her history of her time in the ENCOM cyberspace. There was also some thing else. Code that he wasn't certain he was reading right. He saw lists of various elements and where they were combined.

"Cell structure," Janelle said as she looked at some of the data. "Protein chains."

"DNA," Kevin added. "Blood, tissue everything biological."

"Didn't see any of this in Tron's when I looked at it," Alan said. "But that is because he isn't a User."

"A living User," Kevin added.

"Can't be," Janelle said and shook her head. "Tron said that I might have a new body, but that's impossible." She was breathing so hard. Alan was afraid she was going to hyperventilate.

"She's breathing."

"Hyperventilate," Alan said out loud. "Janelle relax your breathing."

"I'm breathing," Janelle said as she took another breath, this time slower and deeper than before. She sat down, propped her elbows onto her knees and placed her head on her palms as she took in more slow deep breaths.

"This is, this is…"Alan couldn't form the words. He could barely think them. He reached out to Janelle's hand and placed a finger on her wrist and pressed. There was no mistaking that soft vibration that he felt.

"Is it?" She looked up at him.

"A pulse? Yes it is."

"She's alive," Kevin said in equally astonished tone.

"I'm alive," Janelle gasped as she stared at her hands. "How."

"I don't know," Alan said and turned to where he thought Kevin was. "How is this possible?"

"I don't know, man."

"You have to know something."

"The only thing I can think of is Tron. He fell into the sea. It restored him and some of it was still with him. But the sea was poisoned by Clu, unless it's the combination of the sea and my data. Something happened when Janelle's spirit became digitized. The system grabbed her tried to turn her into digital data like it does with living Users, but it could only solidify her half way."

"Tron gave me that disk," Janelle said. "When I came into contact with it I felt several shocks. He said something jumped from his hand to the disk. I guess that fully solidified me."

"Not just the disk," Kevin said. "That transference of Energy. Tron might have done in on purpose, or it might have just happened naturally, but it happened."

"This is a miracle," Alan said.

"Cyberspace is full of them."

"I'm alive," Janelle said. "I'm alive again." She hugged herself.

"Welcome back," Alan said before he felt himself pulled down into a embrace. He hugged back.

"I have to hug everyone," Janelle said. "Going to be hard to hug you, Mr. Flynn."

"It's all right," Kevin said. "Just stop with the Mister. Call me Kevin, or just Flynn."

"All right then, Flynn."

"Flynn is here?" the program named Ram asked and ran up to him. "Where is he? I was told he was derezzed."

"His body has," Janelle said. "Not his spirit."

"You can give Ram a hug for me," Kevin said.

"He wants me to hug you," Janelle said to Ram.

"He does," Alan said. "We can hear him."

"Ah sure." Ram held out his arms and accepted the hug from Janelle. "Not that I mind, but why are we hugging?"

"I'm alive."

"Yes you are," Ram said and looked at Alan in a look that was asking if Janelle was right in the head.

"I wasn't. It's a long story."

"I would love to hear it," Ram said. "Got plenty of time."

"Why aren't you with Tron and Yori?" Alan asked.

"They wanted to be alone," his voice grew slightly lower. "Together."

"The two lovers have been reunited," Janelle gasped. She had a dreamy look on her face.

"They used to be together," Ram said in a dejected tone. "Many cycles ago."

"According to the stories they were. It's like a fairytale come true again."

Alan noticed the way Ram was frowning. Was the other program jealous?

"Fairy tales are just that," Alan said. "Fictional stories, nothing is set in stone, or silicon."

"But their love is eternal," Janelle said. "It just has to be." She ran off. "I'll tell Tron the good news later. I'll tell Sam and Quorra first."

"I wonder if she will give them hugs," Ram said as he watched her.

"Probably." Alan turned to the Program. "Is there something you'd like to talk about."

"No," Ram shook his head. "I'll be fine." He walked off.

Alan had no idea what that was about, but he didn't let his mind linger on that. He was still reeling with the news that Janelle was alive again.

* * *

Tron enjoyed spending time with his old friends. He listened to how Yori functioned in the ENCOM server and how Ram made his way back, or this version of Ram. He was not the same, not exactly. There only a few things that were different, such as the look Ram had cast Tron when Yori dragged him off.

"Where are we going?" Tron asked as they approached an area made up of several cones.

"My quarters are in the corrupted area," Yori explained as she led him to one of the cones. "I had to set up a small tent for some down time."

"Ah that would make sense." He studied the appearance of the cone. It was dark silver instead of black and had rings of soft blue-white light surrounding it. "It does look nice."

"It looks just like the others on the outside." She took one step inside. "Come on."

He cast one look around before he stepped inside.

The tent was illuminated by soft glow from floating spheres. The floor was soft lavender and the walls were blue-silver. There was a black sofa near the back of the cone, from him with a small round table in front of it. In the middle of the floor was a small flat bed. There were what appeared to be two Media Players, but only one of the rectangles was illuminated.

"You have some form of entertainment here," Tron said as he pointed to them.

"One is for music," Yori explained as she pointed at the non-lit up one. "The other is for holographic projections."

"What do you use them for?" Tron asked and remembered how she had her old living quarters set up. "Do you use them to decorate the place?"

"Sometimes," Yori explained as she pressed the buttons on the one that was lit up. "And on me and of course you." A soft white glow formed around her.

Tron looked at his arms as the same kind of glow formed around him. He continued to watch until the glow diminished. His armor had turned white and covered with several thin blue glowing circuitry.

"Remember?" Yori asked. She was also dressed in the same white and blue armory with leggings.

"This was how we used to look like." His armor changed when he crossed over into Flynn's grid. "Flynn was the reason why my look changed. How did yours and the others change?"

"Several system upgrades changed they system. The Users changed their machines on the outside that enabled to us the run things faster and more powerful and hence our appearance changed." She smiled as she approached him. "Do you like the new me or the old me better?"

"I like both."

Her smile faded. "I have something to tell you. I am certain you are not going to like hearing this."

Tron braced himself for the worse. "I also have a lot to tell you."

"So do I." She took a deep breath and sighed. "You have been gone so long, so many megacycles. I started to lose hope in ever seeing you again."

"I have a long story." He had to tell her everything, from being defeated and repurposed by Clu, to when he became himself again and his recent adventure, how he found the ghostly User. He couldn't stop thinking about when they first met to when he thought he lost her, to when they were on the Sailer and when they danced. Wait, what was he thinking?

"I know you can explain it all," Yori continued. "But right now I have to tell you that everyone had thought you had been derezzed. Even I eventually excepted that idea to be the truth."

"What are you saying?"

"Whoa," Sam's voice was heard outside the cone. He was looking in the tent with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"I told you not to peek on them," Janelle was with him.

"I don't think they were doing anything," Sam told her.

"Then why the whoa?" Janelle asked and looked in. "Ah. That's what my doll looked like."

"Yeah," Sam said.

"Your father wore similar suit and armor when he first arrived in our world," Yori explained.

"Ah." Sam smacked his lips as he looked them up and down. "No offense but I prefer this black ensemble."

"Same," Janelle said. "I'm sorry if we were interrupting anything. I told Sam to let you have your alone time."

"This is amazing." Sam said as he held up hands. "Janelle is alive."

"Really?" Tron gasped as he stared at her. He turned back to Yori. "She was derezzed in the Real World for a while."

"I drowned," Janelle further explained.

"Her spirit was digitized and somehow she is back alive again." He turned around to face the Users again. "How is this possible?"

"Flynn thinks it's something to do with both the laser and how you had a little magic sea water in you that transferred over to me when you gave me my disk."

"I'm pretty sure Alan can explain it better," Sam said as he leaned with his back against the side of the entrance. "How did you do all of this?"

"Like this," Yori said as she pressed a few buttons. Her body and Tron's were illuminated again. When the glow was gone she was no longer wearing her armor but a bright red dress and her hair was down and flowing.

"You look lovely," Tron said and looked down at himself. He was dressed in black, well mostly. There was a large white section on his chest and a band of red around his waist. His collar lights were replaced with a red cloth hour glass lying on it's side. "I look ridiculous."

"No you don't," Yori said.

"Programs clean up nice," Janelle said as she looked Tron up and down with a pleased look on her face.

"It's Tron, James Tron," Sam said and walked over to Yori. "How does this work?"

"Like this," Yori said and pressed a few buttons until Sam was dressed in a similar outfit that Tron was wearing.

"You have to wear that for Quorra," Janelle said.

"And for you, Janelle." Yori said as she pushed more buttons.

Janelle's outfit was replaced with a white gown and white shoes. She was gorgeous in that outfit. She seemed otherworldly and not just because she was a User that was once a ghost.

"Not sure if I like the all white," Sam said and fiddled around with the box until a red jacket appeared on Janelle. "Wait a minute." He smiled and pressed a few more buttons. A white hat appeared on Janelle's head and her hair was styled in pigtails. "This is kind of fun."

"Oh," Janelle looked at herself. "I look like that Nurse from that Silent Hill game."

"Sounds like a calm and relaxing game," Yori commented.

"It's anything but," Sam said. "Imagine everything that can and would frighten you concentrated in video game form." He rubbed his head. "I hope somebody doesn't upload a pyramid head type of program in here."

"What about those things from Resident Evil?" Janelle asked.

"Or the zombies from Left 4 Dead," Sam continued. "Oh, wait that came out after your death."

"I heard about it. Several employees at ENCOM play the game and they talk about it. Good thing there are no witches or smokers here."

"Yeah this place is a pretty bit of a mess right now," Sam said as a mischievous grin appeared on his face. "This place has about ninety nine problems-"

"But a witch aint one of them." Janelle finished along with him.

Tron looked at Yori who seemed to be just as confused. "I think that's a User thing."

"Ah," Yori said and nodded. "We still have to talk."

"Everyone, everyone, everyone," someone on the outside of the tent shouted. "We are in big trouble."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Security has been breached."


	17. Sneaking Aboard

**Restitution**

_Chapter 17 Sneaking Aboard_

_

* * *

_

"Security breach?" Tron asked as he grabbed the program by the shoulders. "Did you say a security breach?"

"The ship of the enemy has been spotted.

"A rectifyer?" Sam asked.

"Not that big," the program said. "But it is a good size."

"How did they get in?" Yori asked. She had removed a selection of files from her holographic player and placed it in a clear and glowing container in the shape of a diamond and the size of her hand. She clipped it to her right calf.

"We are not certain. We thought everything was secure."

"What are you guys doing about it?" Sam asked.

"Arc has called everyone together." The program turned around. "In the center of the outlands."

"User burn it," Tron swore. "Come on." He ran to the where a crowd had gathered.

Several programs, mostly those who were newly recruited were panicking. Arc was standing in front and appeared calm and poised. Tron found Ram along with Quorra and Alan at the side.

"Silence," Arc shouted. His voice had a good echo. "What we had feared as finally come to pass."

"What are we going to do?" Someone asked.

"We are going to fight," Someone else shouted.

"We are going to learn what is truly going on," Arc said. "What have the reports said?"

A program cleared their throat. "Several programs have lashed out at a few security programs. While fighting, these odd programs had their lights turn red. They are subduing and capturing the security programs. They don't seem to be interested in anyone else."

"They are taking out the security programs first," Tron said. Everything was coming back to his memory. "They are either going to repurpose them or put them in the games. Those that resist the most will be sent to the games."

"One of Osiris's ship has also been seen," the same program continued. "It is the smaller of his two ships. Not the one he uses to rectify programs, not mainly from what I've been told.

"They might be taking out the security so they can weaken the defense," Sam said.

"Osiris doesn't know that most of security is over here," Ram said as he took his place next to Arc. "That does mean he will try to send his forces through the city."

"How did he get through?" Alan asked. "This was the strongest Firewall we could create."

"Copy skills," the same reporting program said. "Those programs that are taking out security appeared to be neutral at first."

"Dad told me he took on that kind of disguise," Sam said. "I had thought only Users could do that."

"Times have changed," Yori told him. "Newer programs are being developed with every new megacycle."

"I have a question," Janelle said. "What's going to stop Osiris from going back for his rectifyer or having it come here?"

"That is our main concern," Arc said. "We have to find a way to get aboard the present ship and shut it down." He turned towards the direction of Alan. "We close its means of connecting with the rest of Osiris's forces. It will buy us enough time."

"Enough time for what?" Someone asked.

"Enough time for those from Flynn's Grid to arrive," Quorra said. "And for Alan to reach an I/O tower to get the message to Adrian."

"Who's Adrian?" Someone asked.

"He's a User on the other side," Janelle said in a proud tone. "He has something that will help us. It will give us the winning edge."

"We need to decide who will go aboard the ship to shut it down," Arc said. "And who will accompany this User to the I/O tower."

* * *

Four were chosen to go to take out the ship's power. Tron had insisted her would lead the team. He knew how to sneak around circuits the best out of any program Yori had the best skills when it took to help shut down the ship. She also knew her away around. Sam and Quorra were also skilled fighters and possessed hacking abilities.

"I see it," Quorra said as they neared their borrowed cycles to part of the city that was closest to the Firewall.

"Keep your helmets on," Tron instructed. "And stay next to the shadows."

"Easy," Sam said. He had claimed that he has mastered the skill of stealth.

"Stay close," Tron said and lead through back alleys and corners where there was barely any light. There were no programs to be found. They were more than likely frightened at the site of the ship.

"Should we try and change the password on the Firewall?" Quorra asked.

"Don't know if that will be necessary," Sam told her. "Alan might have gotten through and Adrian would be uploading the contents of that disk."

"Don't forget the time difference," Quorra reminded him.

"Yeah." The User frowned. "I hate the little details at times."

"Quiet," Tron said. He swore he heard the sounds of various footsteps coming down the street. He took a pose and watched as the owners of the footsteps came closer. Just as he thought, it was several soldiers.

Tron stepped out at just the right moment and threw his disks. He made sure they were at the angle where they would not completely derezz the members of the enemy army.

"Sam grab one of them," Yori instructed. "Siphon their energy."

"I'm not a vampire," Sam said but grabbed onto one of the downed guard.

"You're not feeding off him," Quorra said. "You just need it to change the color of your armor."

"I figured," Sam said as his lights switched from white to orange-red. "I just don't like the way it was phrased."

"Channel it towards us," Yori said. "The enemy may have figured out but we are still learning. We still need help from a User."

"Okay," Sam said. He grabbed Quorra until her lights changed color. He moved onto the next soldier and transferred the energy to Yori and then to Tron.

"Now adjust your helmets," Tron said and allowed his to retract until only his mouth and chin were visible.

The four of them made their way to just beneath the ship where there were several steps leading down from the ship. They formed a short and neat row as they climbed up onto the ship.

The first thing they had to find was a sufficient map, or some part of the ship where they could read schematics of the ship. Tron was the first in every room and only when he was certain the place was empty, or if they could sneak through safely, he would give the go ahead to the others.

"Here," Yori said when they reached one section of the ship. "I can find out where the central power is in here."

Tron nodded. "I'll watch this entrance, Sam watch the other. Quorra, watch over her." He took his stand in front of the right entrance. While Yori read he collected his thoughts. He wondered what she had to tell him. It was important to her, but not too important that it can wait until they defeated Osiris.

Tron missed her. He was certain than even when he was Rinzler that he felt some spark that made him think of her. A part of him loved her. He was certain a part of him always will, but now things have happened. Flynn created his own Grid. Tron was drafted in to help and they found a way to create gates in the border that separated it from ENCOM and other systems in the area at the time. Then Clu's betrayal surfaced. The border was closed until Tron was certain he could defeat the usurper and tyrant. Instead of defeating him, Tron was subdued and became Clu's top enforcer.

Sam was the one who helped defeat Clu. Sam, Flynn and Quorra. Tron fought against them. He was forced to fight them, fight against those who he swore he protected and even when he remembered who he was and what his purpose was he still wasn't able to defeat Clu.

Tron glanced back over his shoulder and watched Yori work. She was still as pretty as he remembered and still had such a lovely figure. He still felt something for her, but it wasn't the same as he felt in the past. What had Clu done to him? He had also noticed that Yori did not seem as exited to see him as he had thought, unless he had too much expectation for their reunion.

"Got it," Yori said and stepped back.

"Just in time," Sam said. "Someone is coming."

"Stand straight and tall," Tron instructed as Yori came towards him. "We don't want to appear too conspicuous." He and Yori stood in front of one the entranceways while Sam and Quorra pretended to stand guard at the other entrance.

The one who entered the room set Tron's teeth on edge. It wasn't Osiris, but it was almost as bad. He would not mistake that ponytail anywhere, nor the hook shaped nose or scowl.

"Hmmm." Regor paused in the middle of the room and rubbed his chin. "I wasn't certain if I gave orders to have this sector under such tight security or not." He turned back and looked at Tron and Yori. "Master did say he wanted all of the rooms protected." He shrugged. "If it wasn't me then it had to be him. Good job." He continued on the way out.

"Wow," Sam said once the coast was clear. "That guy does not have the brightest bulb."

"We should thank our Users that he doesn't," Yori said. "The main power is on the second floor near the stern of the ship."

They continued their way to the second floor of the ship and straight to the back, following Yori's directions.

The room they wanted was guarded in the front by four guards. Tron attacked first, followed by the others. He was surprised to see how fast Yori was able to take out one of the guards. She certainly had changed in the past several megacycles.

"I wonder if anyone is at home," Sam said as they entered the room. "Best to knock and say hello."

There were several more of the Black Guard in the room. Their opponents did not seem to notice anything was off about them.

"Almost too easy," Tron said as he quickly de-rezzed one of the guards on the inside.

The others pounced on them before first guard finished to dissolve.

Tron leaped in the air to avoid one of the disks, spun around in the air and slammed down on one of the guards. He noticed the baton the guard was holding. It was a light jet baton. Tron snatched it out of his hands before he derezzed him and looked up to fight more.

Quorra slashed her disk across the chest of the last one, causing him to fully de-rezz.

"I'm pretty sure more are on their way," Sam said as he and Yori made way to the main power controls.

"We'll hold them off," Tron said as he and Quorra faced the front entrance

No guards came at first, so far, so good. Tron could hear both Yori and Sam working on the power. He knew they were working as fast as possible, but it didn't seem fast enough as far as he was concerned.

"That should do it," Sam said from behind.

"They are going to have trouble getting everything online without this component," Yori added. What she had was the same size and shape as the container for her files. She clipped it to her left calf.

"Move out," Tron ordered and lead them out into the hall—where there were several more guards standing. He growled and slashed at the one that was closest to him before he had time to react.

Another program tried to grab Tron from behind, but he was able to deflect the attack and strike the enemy. He grabbed another light jet baton from them. Tron dodged another attack and derezzed a third and then a fourth before handing the staff to Yori. He could see that Sam and Quorra had also snagged a lightjet batons of their own

"More are coming," Yori said as she de-rezzed one of the guards.

"We'll take care of them," Quorra said as she slashed through another of the soldiers.

Tron sliced through two more before he rolled on the ground and de-rezzed another as he stood up. He could see the clear path to the nearest window. Using his disks he sliced through those opponents who stood between him and his friends and freedom.

"Going some where?" Regor asked from behind him.

Tron turned around and saw that the others were surrounded by several guards.

"Let them go," Tron demanded. He was ready to throw his disk at Osiris's minion.

"I just have to give the word and they will be derezzed." Regor said as he raised his finger.

"What do you want?" Tron asked through clenched teeth.

"My boss wants you. Three of your friends in exchange for you is a bit of a fair trade, won't you say?"

"Tron, don't listen to him," Yori said.

"You know he won't hold his word," Sam added. "He's just using us to get to you."

Tron stared at his friends, then at Regor, then at his friends again.

"Well?" Regor asked. "What will it be?"

Tron closed his eyes and exhaled. "Fine." He dropped his disks.

"No," Yori said. "What are you doing?"

"He's doing the right thing," Regor said and placed his hand on Tron's shoulder, only removing it when he growled. "I understand."

"Let me say good bye," Tron said as he walked to his friends. There was one idea he had that would guarantee their safety. He stopped in front of Quorra first. "Take care of Sam, and I'm sorry."

"He made you do it," Quorra said softly.

"Sam, listen when your father talks to you. Tell Alan I will miss him and tell Janelle that I-" He paused. What was he about to say? He couldn't not in front of Yori. "Tell her that I am glad that we met and I will miss her. Hug her for me if she cries."

"You don't have to do this," Sam said.

Tron ignored him and faced Yori. "You mean so much to me, more than I can express."

"Tron," Yori whispered. Tears were already rolling out of the corners of her eyes.

"Don't cry." He hugged her and swiped the holographic files from her right calf holster. He turned to face Regor. "Let them go."

"Now why-"

"Let them go or I'll break this," Tron said and held up the files. "Yori took this from your power source. I believe it is important. I also believe your master will not be happy if it is destroyed, am I right?"

Fear spread across Regor's face and left his jaw hanging open. "Release the others, but hold onto Tron."

"We are not leaving you," Yori said.

"Get out and run," Tron commanded her.

"You cannot tell me to," Yori said

"We have to go," Quorra said and grabbed the wrists of both Sam and Yori.

"Not again," Sam said as he was being dragged away.

Tron sadly watched them as they ran away.

* * *

"I have to go back for him," Sam said as soon as his light jet had landed.

"I'll be the one to go back," Yori said as she handed Quorra a small glowing container. "You two go on ahead back to the outlands with this."

"You can't take them all on yourself," Quorra said.

"She's right," Sam agreed. He was not going to let what happened to Tron, happen again. "Quorra, you take the component back, Yori and I will go back for him."

"I'm not leaving you," Quorra said.

"You are going to have to."

"No." Her jaw was clenched and there was a look of determination in her eyes.

"This is not helping Tron," Yori said. "They are going to derezz him."

"They are going to do something worse," Sam said as he closed his eyes.

"What could be worse?" Yori asked.

"Rectifying him."

"Tron would never allow them to turn him into a mere foot soldier for a tyrant."

Sam just glanced at Yori and then at Quorra. The truth was going to hurt the female program. Tron hadn't had the time to explain what had happened to him. His girlfriend never knew that he was turned into the powerful warrior enforcer known as Rinzler.

"We have to move," Quorra said and pointed to the sky as seven soldiers were dropping in on them.

"This should be an easy fight," Yori said. "Then one or two of us will go back for Tron. We should have never left him."

"I agree," Sam said and threw his disk at one of the guards.

One the other soldiers being dragged into an alleyway. The sound of deresoultion followed soon after.

"Tron?" Sam asked. He didn't see the warrior land anywhere near where they were, but he it was a good possibility that he had escaped.

What stepped out of the alley wasn't Tron. It stood at over eight feet tall and looked like it was made out of liquefied silver save for it's head and hands. It's face looked like that of a human's out of a CGI animated movie with glossy brown stripes on the top of his head. It was not happy. It had clenched and bared it's teeth in a snarl as it tore apart the guards. When it was done it turned to him.

"Thanks," Sam said, unsure of what the big bruiser was going to do.

"More of you." It's voice sounded like several voices speaking at once. "You took me away from my friends. You took me to him where he hurt me."

"Uh we are not them," Sam said and made his helmet melt away. "See. I don't look like them anymore." This thing wasn't stable, but Sam had to try and calm it.

"You wear their colors. You will suffer from harming us, from harming me. You tried to break me apart but I came back and I'm bigger now."

"Sam." Quorra grabbed his arm.

Sam didn't have to be told twice. He turned around and ran as fast as he could while he pulled out the baton for his light cycle. He jumped in the air and it activated. The second his bike touched ground he gunned it.


	18. The Tower

**Restitution**

_Chapter 18: The Tower_

_

* * *

_

"Strap him in," Osiris ordered as Regor and two sentries entered the torture room along with Tron. "The pain shall weaken him just enough." Once his new prisoner was drained enough he will accept the old and new code.

"What are you going to do with me?" Tron asked as he was strapped to the electric wall.

"You are going to help me take control of all systems," Osiris said as he turned on the electricity.

Tron grunted and cringed. His eyes were half closed as he thrashed about. He seemed to be fighting the urge to scream.

"That shall be the first taste," Osiris said and turned off the power. He turned it on again and increased the strength of the power.

"There is more," Regor said.

"Oh?" Osiris only half listened to his minion. He was more interested in listening to Tron's screams.

"We have the component the others stole."

"Excellent." He turned off the machine and watched as the famous security program pant. "Give it here."

"Yes master," Regor said and placed the component into Osiris's outstretched hand.

Osiris turned on the pain and studied the component. He opened up the end and read what was inside. "Original clothing and armor, favorite dress, white dress, golden dre—Regor you idiot." He held up the files. "This is from a holographic simulator." He threw it at his minion. "Get out."

"Sorry," Regor said with a bow and ran out.

"Pathetic." Osiris turned off the machine and stared at Tron. The security program had his hair disheveled. Tears had formed in the corner of his eyes. The color in his face had drained, leaving him to be almost as white as his circuits. "I won't need him, not when I have you."

* * *

Alan half listened to the others in his party while they made their trek to the I/O tower. He also tried to think of what he was going to say when he reached it. Was he just going to tell Adrian to put in the disk? He had to think what Adrian was doing right now. Time was different on the other side but if Adrian had just finished watching Alan being digitized then he was going to be frightened to the point where he would run out of the place, or turn of the laser or both.

"What are you calculating?" Arc asked as he slowed his pace down to where he was walking next to him.

"What I'm going to say to my friend," Alan answered. He knew he was going to have to say something calming to Adrian to get him to listen and insert the disk.

"Did he see you get pulled in?" The program asked

"He did."

"He must be worried about you," Arc said. "This might impede our mission."

"Adrian is probably panicking, but he is logical. He will come through for us. We just need to calm him down."

"We will just have to have what you Users called faith."

"I don't kneed faith to know what Adrian is capable of."

Arc smirked. "I know it might not seem much to Users, but we have to have faith in you. It gives us hope and as of now it is the only thing some of us have left."

Alan couldn't argue that. It didn't seem like much, but it did make sense to him. He looked back over his shoulder to see that Ram and Janelle were both in a deep conversation.

"There are so many viruses out there," Ram said in an astonished and frightened tone. "For Users and their animals. It's amazing that you all haven't shut down megacycles ago."

"Sometimes when we are hit with a flu we feel like our systems are shutting down," Janelle said. "Even a grown man can feel like a weak and defenseless child."

Alan had to agree. He remembered the last time he had the flu and Lora had to baby him.

"How do you overcome it?" Ram asked.

"Strong immune systems," Janelle said. "And vaccines. In case we get hit with a rhinovirus we just drink plenty of juice, eat plenty of soup, get plenty of rest and take the right kind of medicine."

"I have heard about vaccines," Ram said. "But I'm not sure how they work."

"Let me try to put it in your terms. We have a virus that is nearly derezzed or has derezzed and keep in mind that outside dead things don't fade away. Our security system learns from that weak and dead virus how it functions and how to fight and prevent live and strong versions from attacking."

"I see." Ram rubbed the top and back of his head. "You bodies do things differently than us."

"We are kind of built differently."

"Interesting," Arc said and nodded back to the two. "The other User is a healer?"

"Wanted to be," Alan answered.

"What prevented her?"

"Tragedy." Alan wasn't certain if he could explain every little detail about Janelle's death or her miraculous resurrection. "Long story. She might be able to pursue her dream now." He wasn't sure if she could. Would she lose her new body when she stepped out from the system?

"We are almost there," Arc said and pointed to the silvery white dome that was toped with a spiral that looked as if it were made from crystal. The dome was framed on each side by a flat rectangle that curved at the bottom, almost fin shaped in structure. It was illuminated by a soft blue light.

"It's beautiful," Alan said when he saw it. "Then again everything about this world is beautiful." Well almost everything, but he decided to be polite about it.

"You should be proud of it then," Arc said with a smile. "Users did create this world."

Alan only half smiled at that. Users did create this world and they also messed around with it. It was because of a User that the ENCOM grid was in such a state.

"Did you know my User?" Arc asked. "Not the one who currently talks to me. There are actually three that I speak with, but do you know the one that wrote me?"

"His name was Michael Grants," Alan answered as he remembered the former employee.

"I remember his name," Arc said and closed his eyes. "What was he like?"

"He was a genius," Alan said. "One of the best. He was even smarter than me. He left at the start of the millennium to work with an old college friend of his to start their own business."

"He's a rival of ENCOM now?" Arc asked sadly.

"They work making medical technology and equipment. I think it was a better purpose."

"Thank you," Arc said and smiled.

There were sleek dark steps that led to inside the tower and inside there were even more steps that led to a flat altar. There was a gap in the altar as if something was missing.

"Wasn't there a guardian?" Janelle asked. "I remember the stories having some sort of priest like guardian."

"The tower guardian is closer than you think," Ram told them. "He's been with us the whole time."

Alan turned to Arc. "You? You are the guardian of this tower?" He could not believe this leader, this skilled warrior was also a religious figure.

"That is me," Arc answered.

"Why did you leave your tower?" Janelle asked. "Don't these programs need to speak with their Users?"

"We are at a time of war," Arc said. "I could just simply sit around and do nothing, or I could lead those who wish to fight. They needed someone to lead. Your program was gone from the system. It was just me, Ram and Yori. There are other towers in this secured area. The still have their guardians."

"Still not certain how this works," Alan said. He looked past the pulpit and into the v shaped opening.

"Shouldn't be too hard," Arc said as he sat in the depression. He pressed a few buttons. "We will be able to communicate now. I have also included a sound file." He turned to the other program and Janelle. "We need for you to stay here."

"I want to speak with him," Janelle said in a pleading tone. "I want to tell him that everything will be all right."

"I'll tell him everything," Alan said.

"I want to talk to him," Janelle said as tears formed in her eyes. "Please, Alan, I haven't been able to communicate with him for so long."

"I know you loved him," Alan said as he stared into her eyes. "A part of you still does, but you are letting your emotions take control. We have to get this message out."

"He needs to know."

"When this is over."

"What if that never happens?"

"It will happen." Alan grabbed her hands. "You have to believe in Adrian, believe in Tron and Sam."

"Easy there." Ram said and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know you miss the one you love. I'm worried about my lover."

"You don't understand."

"You can tell me." Ram never lost his friendly smile and placed an arm around her shoulder. "It breaks me to see a User cry."

"Sorry," Janelle said and wiped away some of her tears. "My story is a long one."

"You can tell me and show me some of your disk tricks. Tron told me you were pretty good."

Alan watched them. He had to make certain that Janelle would not turn around. He nearly jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"This way," Arc said and led them through the opening. "Ram will keep her occupied."

"I can't blame her." Alan said as he walked towards the light. "I would want to do the same if I were in her shoes."

"She and Adrian were in love?"

"Once upon a time."

"This tragedy you mentioned before caused them to separate?"

"More than you would know."

"She is not ready to move on?" Arc asked as he looked over his shoulder.

"She has. Janelle is happy for Adrian and Kathleen. She hasn't been able to speak with Adrian for years."

"Ah." Arc nodded his head. "I hope Tron is just as understanding."

"What are you talking about?" Alan asked.

"He was in love once with Yori?"

"Yeah, they still are, right?"

"Once upon a time."

"What do you mean? Programs are not like Users, they don't fall out of love like we do." He wasn't certain how romance and love work in Cyberspace. He didn't want something that would cause Tron's heart, or whatever it is that is similar to a heart, to be crushed.

"Unless there is a tragedy," Arc sighed and shook his head. "When Tron stopped communicating with us we thought the worst had happened. Everyone believed he had long been derezzed, including Yori. She grieved for several megacycles. Ram provided comfort."

"And she fell in love with Ram." Alan had heard the stories before in the Real World. Soldiers would be reported as M.I.A and later dead. Their loved ones would eventually give up hope and grieve and would move on only to later find out their spouse was still alive.

"We can talk about this later." Arc pointed at the column of light. "Speak with Adrian."

* * *

Adrian stared in horror as Alan was struck with the laser. The older man's body was illuminated with a green-blue light while the beams from the laser sliced him up and pulled the pieces inside it's machine.

"Alan," Adrian cried out, knowing full well that it was no use. His friend was dead, killed by some program and whoever was running it.

He fell out of the chair and turned to face the dangerous machine. The glass was still illuminated. It was about to go off again.

Adrian launched himself across the floor and over to where the machine was. His hands flew out in desperation and flicked off every switch he could find on it. He couldn't find where the plug was and if he could he wasn't sure if he would be strong enough to pull them out, not with the way his whole body was shaking.

The last thing he did for extra secure measure was pulled a metal shelving case that was full of files and equipment in front of the laser.

"Shit , shit, shit!" Adrian felt all of the strength in his legs melt away and collapsed where Alan was last standing. "God damn it, no!" He punched the floor and covered his face with his hands. Alan was dead because of him. He just had to insult that psychotic program, now his friend was gone in the most horrific way imaginable and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

There was one thing. He had to call Sam and his girlfriend and tell them what had happened. They will report it to the police and when they find their hackers they will make sure they will charged with several accounts of murder.

His stomach had other plans for him. He found the nearest trash can, pulled back the lid and emptied out his guts and continued until nothing came up. The second he had finished with his dry heaves he collapsed on his side. It was a few minuted before Adrian could move, and the most he could do was sit up. He braced his back against a wall and took deep shallow breaths. He hadn't had a reaction like that since Janelle was pronounced dead.

"Action," Adrian's voice cracked. He had to take action now. He pulled out his phone and dialed Sam's number. The phone rang several times. "Pick up, pick up pick up." He closed it when he reached the voice mail. "Shit."

What was he going to do? He couldn't reach Sam. He couldn't call his team from work, they had no idea what was going on. There was no way he was just going to call the police. He wasn't just going to leave.

"Alan," Adrian whispered as he stood back up. "I'm sorry." He did not look forward to facing Mrs. Bradley and giving her the bad news. "I promise I will find out who did this. I will make sure that death machine is disassembled. I pro-" The sound of a guitar twang cut him off.

The sound came from the computer. There was a new window on the screen. The guitar sound was heard again.

"Sam?" Adrian wondered if that was his friend, or someone else within the building.

"Adrian, it's me, Alan," the message on the window read. "I know how hard this is for you believe, but it's me."

"Not funny," Adrian typed in. "I don't know who the fuck you think you are but this isn't funny."

"You have to believe me," the text replied. "I'm within the system of ENCOM. The laser pulled me in to a form of Cyberspace. We are trying to fight Osiris and we need your help."

"Osiris?" Adrian typed.

"Foamy."

Adrian stared at the screen. Alan was the only one who heard Adrian call the wayward program that, except for Foamy himself. Could it be?

* * *

"Come on Adrian," Alan said as he stared at the light. "Respond."

"Alan that is you in the matrix?" A voice responded. It did not sound like Adrian but something almost distant.

"You can call it that," Alan said. He couldn't wait for Adrian to respond. "When we first met you were so nervous about the internship that your nose started to bleed while we talked." He hoped that would be enough to finally convince him. "We need you to put in that disk, upload the contents and run it. You have to do it now." He did not know how much time they were going to need, only that they have a limited amount, even if Tron and his group had made it onto Osiris's ship and shut down the power that was only going to buy them a little bit of time.

* * *

Osiris poured himself a glass of energy, taking special not to spill a single drop and his shaky hands were not helping. He had lost a crucial component to power his ship. They were still floating but there would be no way to signal his rectifyer or his troops. He had ordered Regor to send out a team to track down the group of programs who stole from him.

There was one redeeming spark about the situation. They were able to capture the powerful warrior, named Tron and strapped him against the torture wall.

Osiris took the security program's disk and inserted the flecks of data that he had collected while he made certain Tron was in constant pain. He did not need nor want Tron. He wanted a warrior that would fight for him and him only. He replaced the name of Clu with his own.

"Master!" Regor barged in on him.

"Have we forgotten our manners?" Osiris asked. "This is how you greet me?" He took a long drink from his glass nearly draining it.

"I'm sorry," Regor said and bowed before him.

"That's better." He stared at his glass and swirled the remaining liquid around. "Tell me you have the component." He stared at Regor and noticed his number one had swallowed deeply. "You did not capture those programs?"

"I'm sorry master," Regor said. "There was a situation."

"Unless the whole system was crashing I do not want to hear it." He turned around.

"But I have a good reason."

Osiris sighed. "Spit it out."

"I sent out several teams to find them. There had been reports that they were de-rezzed single handedly by this juggernaut."

"A single program?" Osiris raised an eyebrow.

"Not a program. We don't think he is. I don't think he's a User either. They said it was huge and brutal. It ripped our soldiers apart."

"What is this thing?" Osiris asked. The thing did cause him some concern. It might take hundreds of soldiers to take it down.

"Not sure. One who escaped said it was a SBM." Regor blinked. "You don't suppose it could be the one we broke down?"

"Don't be absurd. They almost never reconfigure after they have been separated."

"It would make sense on why it was attacking our soldiers. It probably wants revenge for what we have done to him."

"Impossible." Osiris stared at his glass. That new SBM would be a bit of a threat, however they have a new weapon. "We will continue. Send more troops on foot back through the Firewall. They will get in contact with the rest of my forces and rectifyer."

"What about the rest of us?"

"We will crush the opposition."

"Now?" Regor asked.

"We will wear them down and when they think they have won then we will strike with everything we have." He turned to the figure standing in the doorway behind him.

"They have Users on their side."

"And we have him." Osiris pointed at the figure and beckoned him in. He watched as the program walk in and bow before Osiris. "Who do you serve?"

"I serve my master, Osiris," the program said.

"And what is your name?"

"Rinzler."


	19. Lost and Found

**Restitution**

_Chapter 19 Lost and Found_

_

* * *

_

Sam had waited until they had reached the outlands before he slowed his bike down. He wheeled it around in a circle before he braked and removed his helmet. He did not see that thing. He had no idea how long that monster was chasing after them.

"What was that?" Quorra asked

"It looked like an SBM," Yori answered. "Sentient Bit Mass."

"I have heard of them," Quorra said. "But I have never thought I would ever seen one."

"It's been a while," Yori said. "But I've never seen one that big before."

"What is that exactly?" Sam asked. "I know about bits but that thing does not look like a bit."

"In free systems bits travel in groups at times," Yori explained. "The take over is recent. They haven't spread out to hide yet."

"That's a pack of bits?" Sam asked in a dumbfounded and pointed at the direction of the city. What ripped apart those other programs was not a group of bits.

"Sometimes they merge together," Yori continued in her explanation. "They become something more defined and bigger. The more bits then the more like us they resemble."

"Except bigger." Sam shook his head.

"That isn't the least of our problems," Yori said. "We still have to go back for Tron."

"We'll get more people for the rescue mission," Sam said. "And we will change our lights."

"That SBM hated those that served Osiris," Quorra said. "It might not attack those that are still free."

"If that thing is still in there then we don't want to cross it," Sam said. He heard people were running up to them. He turned to see several freedom fighters approach and not one looked happy to see them.

"We are not your enemy," Quorra said.

"It's me," Yori said as she pointed at herself. "Yori. We disguised ourselves. We are still on the same side." She held out her hand. "We may need a little help with changing back."

"Better try with me first," Sam said and let someone grab his hand. His circuitry changed back to white. He grabbed onto Yori's hand.

"Where is Tron?" Another program asked as they helped Quorra change her lights.

"We were attacked," Sam said. "Tron told us to go on ahead and he stayed behind." Just like he had for his father. "We are going back for him."

"Where is Ram?" Yori asked.

"I bet they are still at the tower," Quorra guessed. "Even if they reached Adrian, time will be passing slowly on his end."

Sam wanted to check in on Alan and Janelle but he didn't want to disturb them if they were speaking with Adrian, there was also the more pressing matter of that SBM that wanted to kill them.

"We have this," Yori said as she held up the component. "This will keep them from signaling to their rectifyer and will keep them stationary."

Several programs applauded as more came running towards them.

"We still have to go back for Tron," Sam said. "Those who wish to join us raise your hands." He scanned the audience and saw that several other people have raised their hands. "Those who don't have their hands raised will stay here and prepare to fight as a second wave."

"Here," Yori said as she handed one of the freedom fighters the component.

"We also need you-"

"Sam?" Quorra had cut him off.

He chose to ignore her. "Those who are staying to let the party-"

"Sam," Quorra's voice sounded even more urgent

"That went to the tower know where we are going." Sam had let his voice wavered a bit.

"It's here," Quorra screamed.

Sam spun around and stared in horror as the large SMB was lumbering towards them. He pulled his disk from his back. He heard several programs as they pulled off their disks.

The giant stopped and growled. "You are all different. You don't look like the ones that took me to him."

"Him is Osiris?" Sam asked and immediately wished he hadn't when the SBM snarled.

"He hurt me."

"We are his enemy," Sam said as he held up his hands. "We are freedom fighters that want to take down the one that hurt you."

"You are fighting him?"

"Yes we are," Sam said. "I don't know if this makes any difference to you, but I'm a User."

"A User?" The SBM blinked. "Like Janelle?"

"Yes, like her. Janelle Harper is a friend of mine and is Alan Bradley."

"We went to rescue your friend. Tron and Janelle told me to stay behind. They came back and the enemy took me. They wanted to save me. "

"I think they told me about you." Something in Sam's head clicked. He remembered Janelle and mentioned someone who was captured. "Legion?"

"I am Legion."

"You are also Tron's friend."

"Yes I am. Where are they?"

"Janelle is safe," Yori said sadly. "Tro-"

"I want to see her," Legion said. "I want to see me friend. It's because of her that I came to be."

Sam nodded. "Quorra will take you to her." He held up a hand to Yori. If Legion knew what happened to Tron then he would insist on coming to his rescue and it would be hard to sneak around with Legion, on the other side, Legion might come in handy, but this was a covert mission. They will be fighting Osiris once they receive what was on Adrian's disk.

"I don't want you to go on this mission with out me," Quorra told him.

Sam shook his head. "I'll be able to do this mission better if I knew you were here." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Besides we need someone to signal to the others in our Grid." He ran his finger under her chin. "I'll be fine."

"You better not be lying," Quorra said and kissed him.

Sam felt revitalized from the kiss even more so than all the glasses of energy that he drank. He stepped back from her and turned to face his troops, knowing full well how goofy he looked with sappy smile pasted on his face.

"Come on," He ordered and hopped back onto his bike.

* * *

Several thoughts ran through Janelle's mind as she sat along the steps to the alter. She thought about what Alan was saying to Adrian and could not help but feel envious to him. She also thought about Tron and Sam and their mission. She wished she could have gone with them. She had rekindled her friendship with Sam, gotten to know and like Quorra and she had always liked Yori, at least from the stories.

As for Tron, he was her friend. He was the reason why she was alive again. They had grown close in the past several hours. She remembered when he first rescued her, how they fought together, the way he held her while they were on the Solar Sailer and when they danced.

_Don't do this to yourself_. The voice in her head said. _He's out of your league and he and Yori are in love with each other._

"You are thinking about your friends?" Ram asked.

"They are always on mind," Janelle answered. "Them and my family." How were her parents and her siblings going to react that she was given another chance at life? Would she be able to step out of the system, or would they have to come inside to see her.

"I'm also worried about them," Ram said. "I wish I could be with Yori."

"Yori and Tron?" Janelle looked at him

He nodded. "Yeah, Yori and Tron."

"How much do you remember about your previous existence?"

He shrugged. "Bits and pieces. I remember my first function at the insurance corporation. I remember playing various video games. I remember the light cycle races."

"How much different were they in comparison to the ones now?" Janelle asked. The only parts she remembered about the light cycles in the stories was that they rode them while on their stomachs.

"Not like the ones we have now," Ram said and removed his disk from his back. "We were on our stomachs and there was a roof over our heads. You couldn't break, not on the game grid that is and there were jet walls instead of jet streams and the second anyone crashed into a wall they would de-rezz."

"Yeah I do like the translucent look of the jet streams," Janelle said as she stretched out on the bottom step. "So pretty."

"I remember Flynn," Ram said as he spun his disk on one finger.

"I have some memories." She remembered the Kevin Flynn that would pat her head and tell a joke when she felt sad. She remembered how he would speak with her father, Alan and several others about his visions for both ENCOM and the world. She remembered how he showed her how to use a mouse.

"What was he like?"

"He was sort of the cool dad, always tried to be down with the kids."

"I remember when I found out when he was a User." Ram closed his eyes and sighed. "It was right before I de-rezzed."

"You remember?" Janelle sat up. "Did it hurt?"

"I was in some pain from the tank blast that got us."

"I'm sorry. It didn't hurt for me, not really."

"You de-rezzed?" He stared at her.

"Drowned. I fell off a ship. They tried to bring me back. For years I walked, or rather floated around as a ghost, then this laser zapped me, made me part corporal and when Tron gave me an Identity disk I became alive again."

"Wow. Tron really is something special."

"He is."

"I can understand why if Yori wants to go back to him," he said in a dejected tone.

"Go back to him?" Janelle just stared at the program. "What are you talking about?"

"It's hard to explain."

"My death and undeath are a little more hard to explain."

"It's nothing." He looked up. "They are back."

"They are?" Janelle spun around to the entrance and noticed that Quorra was standing in the entrance. "Quorra, thank the lord." She ran up to her. "Where's Tron and Sam?"

"Where is Yori?" Ram asked.

"Only three of us were able to escape," Quorra said. "Tron chose to exchange himself for us."

"And you left him there?" Janelle glared at her. "You just left him so you could save yourself?"

"We didn't want to," Quorra said. "Sam and Yori are leading a team to go back for him."

"Why didn't you go?" Janelle asked.

"When did they leave?" Ram added.

"The left just recently," Quorra answered. "Sam wanted me to tell you before I round up the troops from Flynn's grid."

"Janelle," a deep and somewhat familiar voice was heard from outside the tower.

"Legion?" Janelle asked as she ran past Quorra. "Legion you are okay." As soon as she stepped out she noticed the eight-foot silver man with a defined head. "Legion?"

"It is me," the figure said.

"What happened to you?" She looked him up and down. The Legion that she remembered did not use pronouns and he was smaller and had a face that wasn't as well defined.

"He got me," Legion explained with a deep loathing scowl on his face. "He took me and wanted to know where you and Tron were. I refused to tell him and he tortured me. The pain was horrible and then I broke apart. Many of my bits derezzed but the rest found more. We grew in size beyond 64, beyond 128."

"I'm sorry they hurt you." She reached out to him and hugged a leg. "I wanted to go back I-" She stopped when she realized that Quorra ha done something similar when they escaped from the ship.

"I am no longer in any pain, but Tron is in trouble?"

"We have to help him," Janelle said. "I'm going to follow Sam."

"I'm going with you," Ram said.

"What about Arc and Alan?"

Ram glanced back over his shoulders. "I'm certain Arc can watch over him." He turned to Quorra. "How fast can you be back with those other forces?"

"As fast as a Light Cycle can carry me," Quorra said.

"I'm going to have to be faster," Janelle said as she turned to face the city. She prayed that Tron was still alive and not in any pain and she prayed that Adrian would speed things up.

* * *

Adrian fought to keep his head and thoughts level. He could feel his heart race as he removed the disk from it's clear jewelry box case and set it in the driver and closed it back up.

"Just put the disk in," he typed to Alan, or who he thought and hoped was Alan.

"Good," Alan's reply came at the same time as another window appeared.

Adrian used the mouse to move the arrow over the yes option of upload new software.

* * *

It took a little longer for everyone to get fully disguised the second time. Sam did not have to grab anyone for himself to change back to red, but he had to siphon of several soldiers to the freedom fighters and kind of wished Janelle was here to help him with that task. Then again he didn't know if it would drain her too much. He was unclear of what kind of limitations her new body had.

"This isn't good," Yori said and pointed up at the sky as a recognizer flew overhead.

"He must of sent several soldiers on foot," Sam said. "Move out."

He lead the group as they all jogged in a single file line back to the ship and only stopped when someone gasped. He looked up and saw another Recognizer fly over them. The aircraft shone a light down over them and it swept over before it continued along its way.

"That was close," Yori said and let out her breath. "A little too close."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "But on the plus side, we were able to fool one of those."

The ship was more heavily guarded than before. The one minion, Regor was walking back and forth in front of the troops giving them instructions.

"Him again," Yori said. There was no sign of fear in her voice.

"He does seem pretty dense," Sam agreed and marched straight to the entrance.

"Halt," Regor commanded.

Sam and his troops had stopped. It shouldn't be too hard. Regor would give them an inspection; they will pass and continue on their way.

Regor looked at them and rolled his eyes. He smacked Sam on the back of his head, causing his helmet to retract.

Crap. Sam was not going to show any fear.

"You really thought that was going to work, twice?" Regor asked. "What kind of idiot do you take me for?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Sam asked.

Regor glowered at him before he turned to his forces. "De-rezz them."

"Attack," Sam shouted and removed the disk from his back. He swung his weapon down only to be blocked by Regor's back swing.

Something hard and strong struck Sam in his backside with force to send him sprawling across the floor. He ignored the pain his knees and left arm felt and rolled over and looked up to see a familiar figure over him.

"Tron," Sam said.

"That's not your friend," Regor said as he ran back to the entrance.

It wasn't Tron? Sam looked back and the figure and saw that the familiar circuitry were reddish-orange, but they were that way because of the disguise. He looked up at the face obscured by the helmet and heard that familiar and frightening growl.


	20. Guardian

**Restitution**

_Chapter Twenty: Guardian_

_

* * *

_

Sam stared up at the program that stood before him. He could tell by the armor and circuitry that it was Tron, but someway, somehow, Osiris had managed to repurpose him, turn him back into Rinzler after Alan had fixed him.

"Tron, it's me Sam, Sam Flynn." He rose to his feet without removing his eyes from the deadly program. "I am your friend. We are friends. We are all working together to save this system."

Tron stared at him, or Sam felt like he was being stared at with the way his face reflected off of his helmet. His head tilted to the side and he made that cackling, sparking, purring sound.

"Tron?" Sam asked in the hope that he might have gotten through to him.

Tron had raised his disks and slashed down at Sam with lightening speed

Sam used his own disk to block one of the disks while he angled his body to avoid the other one. "Why are you doing this?" It was a stupid question because he certainly knew why. It was his new programming, his new code but he only recently was turned back into the enforcer. Who knows what Clu had done to him over the years in the Grid and through all of that rewriting there was still a spark of Tron left, just enough for him to remember.

"Enemy." Tron's voice was low with a sharp edge.

"I'm not an enemy. I'm a User."

"User?" Tron's strength relaxed.

"Yes. You are Tron. You fight for the Users." He stood up and stared at his own reflection in Tron/Rinzler's helmet.

The program growled and broke away from the stand off. He kicked at Sam's leg.

Sam hit the ground again, reeling from the pain from Tron's kick and knew if he survived he was going to have one hell of a bruise there. He rolled over and looked up at Rinzler as he pounced on him.

"I am Rinzler. I fight for Osiris. There are no Users." He slashed down with his disks.

Sam was only able to block one and cringed when the other cut against his arm. While painful he hoped that a part of Tron will resurface when he sees his blood again.

Tron paused and did seem to be staring down at him, studying Sam's wound and the blood that was leaking out of it.

"Users bleed like that," Sam said as he pointed at his fresh cut. "We are real. You were friends with my father."

Tron growled again.

Sam tried to kick him off but the skilled program dodged and went to strike him again.

Another disk flew through the air and knocked the one of the deadly weapons out of Tron's hand before it spun back and went to Yori.

Sam took the opportunity to force Tron off him and rolled away.

"What have they done to you?" Yori addressed the repurposed program.

Tron turned to her. He raised his arms to throw one of the disks and paused.

"That's your girlfriend," Sam said. Tron might not listen to him but he would listen to Yori.

"Tron it's me," Yori said as she lowered her disk. Tears were welling up in her eyes. Sam could not imagine the pain she was going through to see her lover like this

"Yori?" Tron asked as his helmet retracted. His hair was unkempt and his face was slick with sweat or the program equivalent to sweat and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Yes," Yori smiled. "We are on the same side." She reached out to him "Please remember.

"We are fighting for a better system together." He took her hand in his and his scowl softened.

"Exactly," Sam agreed. He knew Yori would get through to him.

"Yori and I are working for Osiris." Tron spun around to face Sam. A flash of red flickered across his eyes.

"No Tron," Yori grabbed his shoulder from behind. "Remember who you originally fought for. Remember Alan."

"Alan?" Tron blinked. "Alan-one?"

"He's here," Sam said in a coaxing tone. "He's helped you before. He will help you again."

"Alan-one," Tron repeated. "My User." He cringed. "Users are not real. I fight for Osiris." He blinked twice. "No I-" He grabbed his head.

"It's going to be okay," Yori said and reached for Tron again, only to have him smack her hand again. "Tron?"

"I am not Tron." The red light flashed across his eyes again. "I am Rinzler."

* * *

"Fools," Regor said as he watched the battle from an open window. "They are trying to get through to him."

"That would be quite a feat," Osiris said. "I have reinserted the deleted data and I have rewritten him. Not to mention that I think I might have broken him with my favorite toy."

"I almost wish I was here to see that."

"I do love that sadistic streak in you."

"I am pleased to make you happy, Master."

"This group shall be defeated soon," Osiris said. "We will take the prisoners and put them with the others and when my rectifyer arrives they will be a part of us."

"The system will be yours and then that other system that is cut off from the Users."

"I am looking forward to that." Osiris smiled. "It shouldn't be too difficult to take control. I have been told that it has been weakened recently."

"That it has."

"And then we shall remove all the borders that have been imposed," Osiris continued. "I have learned of a program that was known as Master Control and was able hack into computers across the globe, all those that were built by ENCOM. Just think of how far we will be able to go with the Web."

"Master?" Regor stared at him. He did not remember that being part of the main goal. "That was not the intent of our Users, was it not?"

"Not our Users, no."

"Then why will we be doing it?"

"It would not be fair to not share a perfect unity with all the systems across the world wide web. There are so many that are not functioning properly, due to lack of a leader, or perhaps they are in the hands of an incompetent Users. They will need us and they will thank us."

"There are other competent Users out there. Two of them created us." He wasn't sure if hey liked what his master was saying, or implying. His master couldn't be intending what Regor thought he was going to do.

"Like the one I tried to pull in here." He rubbed his index and thumb together. "The one that dared to insult me with such a basic name. I will pull him in give him a sufficient punishment, that is if he hadn't run off screaming. He might be too afraid to try his little tricks again."

"What if there are others?"

"Then we will take them in. If they push me I will push back."

"Our Users will not like it."

"When did you start caring about Users?" Osiris gave him a hard stare. "You are not getting soft on me are you?"

"Of course not." He shook his head. "I was just curious how our Users, Max and Ed were going to take this."

"Ah." Osiris placed his hands in the pocket of his coat. "Max will not care one way or the other as long as he gets paid. Edward however might be somewhat concerned about my main goals, but he also can be bought."

"They won't try to look in on us and see what are our true plans are, then?"

"Of course not." Osiris walked up to him and stared out the window. "Users are fools. Throw them a few treats and they will stay away from you. We do not have to worry about the Users looking in on us, only worry when we find a way to step out into their world."

"What will they say?" Regor asked. "What would Max and Ed say?"

"They may not be thrilled, by then they will no longer be any concern of us."

"I understand, Master," Regor said as he unsheathed his disk. "I understand all too well." He spun towards Osiris and brought the disk down.

"I foresaw this," Osiris said as he blocked Regor's attack. "Who do you serve, me or the Users?"

"I serve Maxwell Ricker and Edward Dillinger Jr."

"Then so be it," Osiris brought his disk back and struck again.

* * *

Adrian watched the window, waiting for the upload to complete. He had no idea how long it would take, especially on an older operating system like this one was. To his surprise it was almost instantly.

"Everything has been uploaded," Adrian said as he typed out the response. "Going to have it run."

The gray window had changed. It now asked him if the wanted to the vaccine software.

"Let's hope this works." He made the arrow click on yes.

* * *

"He's about to run it," Alan said to Arc. Something had come through the beam. That something turned out to be five coffin shaped crystals each with what looked like a human or a program sleeping inside them

"I would advise you to step back," Arc said and grabbed onto Alan's shoulder back. "We are going to need to give them some room."

"Give them room?" Alan asked but followed Arc out onto the alter and pulpit.

The tower shook as the crystals broke and green light filled the v shaped entrance. Several figures road through on vehicles that resembled tall flightless birds and horses. The figures were wearing glowing armor, resembling knights from the medieval era. They carried large shields on their arms and each one had a least three forms of weapons.

"Where is the infection?" One of the glowing warriors asked. He looked and sounded like Adrian. The rest of the soldiers looked like the ENCOM employees that were part of Adrian's team.

"Follow us," Arc said.

"Before we go," the Adrian look-a-like said. "You will both need to be protected."

"Protected?" Alan asked.

"That is correct," One of the female warriors said and held out her hand. "Do you have an weapon of your own?"

"I do," Alan said and held out his disk.

"You have been protected," she said as she placed her hand on top of it. Energy poured out of her hand and illuminated Alan's disk.

Alan's finger's tingled from the contact. The sensation spread out across his hands, to his wrists, arms and finally through his body. He felt like he had twenty years removed from his body, any slight sign of fatigue had been wiped and any part of him that was sore was now healed.

"Ah," Arc murmured. "I haven't felt this good since I took a swim in an energy spring."

"Are there others that need the same amount of protection?" Another soldier asked.

"There are many," Arc answered.

"Take us to them."

The trek back to the main encampment of the freedom fighters was not as long as the one to the tower, or at least it seemed that way to Alan. It had to be what the vaccination software had done to him. It not only rejuvenate him, but it also made him faster and stronger, at least that is what it felt like.

"What kind of infection are we talking here?" The Adrian look-a-like asked when they were over half way back to the camp.

"A powerful program," Arc answered. "It has managed to infiltrate and corrupt most of the system. It had gotten through the firewall that protected the safe part from the infected area.

"It sounds like a challenge," the female program that had given Alan his powerup had said. "But it isn't impossible."

"What do I call you?" Alan asked. "Your Users had to give some kind of name to refer to."

"I have been given the name of Kris," the female said.

"I am Dirk," the one that looked like Adrian had said.

"Dagger," a third one added.

"Claymore," the fourth one said.

"I am called Machete," the other female said.

"Those names are pretty fitting," Alan said. "I know the team that made you."

"Alan here is a User," Arc explained.

"A User," Dirk repeated with a smile. "I never thought I would ever see or meet one."

"I'll tell you about the one who created you," Alan promised. It would have to wait because they had just come across the encampment and it was filled with hundreds and hundreds of programs.

"You have quite the army," Dagger said in an impressed tone.

"I guess most were in their tents earlier," Alan said and turned to face Arc. "I didn't know you had this many freedom fighters."

"I didn't," Arc said with a frown. "I wonder who are all these programs."

Alan sought out a familiar face but all the programs were complete strangers to him. Where were his friends?"

"Alan," Quorra called out as she ran up to them. "Arc."

"Quorra, what's going on?" Alan asked. "Who are all these other programs?"

"The security programs and others who wish to fight from Flynn's Grid," Quorra answered. She pointed at Dirk's group. "Who are they?"

"The security programs from Adrian's vaccine project," Alan answered. "I made it through and Adrian made it through."

"Thank the creator," Quorra said with a sigh of relief.

"Where are the others?" Alan asked as Arc and Dirk's group were spreading the same protective energy to the other fighters.

"They went to rescue Tron," Quorra said. Her eyes were sad and her voice was filled with guilt. "He saw to it that we could escape. Sam and Yori lead a rescue team and Janelle and Ram followed."

Alan turned to the direction of the city. In the distance he saw something that resembled a recognizer.

"We are all going in now," Alan said. "Quorra le me see your disk."

"Here," Quorra said and held it out for him.

"Spread it around," Alan instructed as he passed on the protection to her. "Once everyone has it was are going inside and stopping this once and for all."

* * *

Jolting pain shot through Rinzler's head and radiated through out his body. He heard several voices shouting at him, ordering him what his next move should be.

"Tron it's me," another voice joined the group, but this was different, familiar, the voice of a friend.

"W-who?" Rinzler asked.

"You have got to know who," the voice repeated. "Your guardian angel. I've been leading you through your redemption."

"Guardian angel," Rinzler repeated. He heard that word before. He was sitting with two others staring at the night sky.

* * *

"I wish I could make the stars appear," the User said as the three of them stared at the sky. "They are beautiful, the way they shine and twinkle."

"Do they sparkle?" Rinzler asked his friend.

"Yeah you can say the sparkle."

"When two programs are in love and are together sparkles form around them," Rinzler said. "You want to make the sky full of love?"

"Exactly."

"The perfect system has a sky full of love?" the program that resembled the User asked.

"A system isn't perfect if there is no love," the User answered.

"Flynn you said out there it wasn't different for Users," Rinzler said. "We look up to Users. Who do Users look up to?"

"Depends on the User," Flynn answered. "There are different forms of religion out there with different beliefs and gods."

"What is yours?" Clu asked.

"Mine?" Flynn shrugged. "I was raised Irish Catholic. We just call him God. We look up to him and Jesus, the holy spirit and the angels and saints."

"What are those?" Rinzler asked.

"Jesus is the son of God. The Holy Spirit is kind of hard to explain, but said to bring Jesus down to Earth to be born. Saints are Users that had done miraculous things. Angels are powerful beings. There are archangels and guardian angels-"

"Guardian?"

"Those are different, once again it depends on who you ask. Some of them have always been angels and others are the souls of the departed who watch over their loved ones."

* * *

"Tron?" The voice spoke to him again.

"Flynn?" Rinzler asked.

"That's right, buddy. I know you are in pain. We are going to help take care of that. We are going to save this system. You are a hero. Remember who you fight for."

"I fight for-" Another surge of pain shot through him.

_Osiris is your master, Osiris is your master. There are no Users. You are Rinzler. You serve your master Osiris._

Rinzler screamed and thrashed at the air in front of him.

"Tron," Flynn spoke to him.

"Shut up," Rinzler snarled. "You are not a User, you never were. I will not be corrupted. I fight for Osiris." He grabbed at his fallen disks and ran towards the two enemy programs, the ones who called themselves Sam and Yori. He jumped into the air, did a somersault and began his decent down, ready to derezz them with a single swipe.


	21. Vaccination

**Restitution**

_Chapter 21 Vaccination_

_

* * *

_

Sam stared up as Rinzler was about to pounce on them with both disks extended and ready to slash down at him. Sam was ready to raise his at just the right minute.

Another disk flew out, aiming for Rinzler's feet.

Rinzler shifted himself at the last second, missing having his feet struck or cut off, but his landing was less than graceful. He tumbled along the ground and pulled himself into a crouch, poised to attack again.

"Get away from them," Ram shouted and threw his disk again.

Seeing Ram must have gotten through to their fallen friend. He did not attack. He tried to dodge away but did not move fast enough. The disk struck his helmet, knocking it off.

"Tron," Sam called out as he raised his arms. Out of the corner of his eye he could make out Legion attacking the soldiers. "These are your friends, Ram and Yori. You love Yori."

"Ram," Tron repeated the name and blinked. "Yori, we were, we are together."

"You shouldn't have told him that," Dad's voice was heard behind him.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked and looked over at the two programs as Ram helped up Yori to her feet and pulled her close. They way they stared at each other betrayed their feelings. "Ah shit. Why didn't anyone tell me these things?"

"Lies," Tron growled out as the red light flashed in his eyes again. "All lies. Yori doesn't love me. She loves him. She always loved him." He growled again as he leaped into the air and spun his body around while he threw his disk down at the two lovers.

Sam threw his disk. He watched as it struck against Tron's, knocking it off course. He waited for Tron to land before he jumped on his back and tried to force him down.

Tron was a better fighter and he was stronger. He bucked Sam off and stuck him with his fist.

Sam grunted as he felt the program's fist collide against his jaw. The pain was fierce and the force was enough to nearly knock Sam onto his backside. He looked up and stared in the eyes of the corrupted program.

"Stop," Dad's voice was loud enough that it even made Sam's ears hurt. "Don't you dare hurt my son."

"Lies," Tron snarled. "Lies, lies, lies, lies." He clawed at the air. "There are no Users, there never were. Osiris created me and I serve him. I fight for him."

"You will die for him," Legion growled and ran up them. He snarled as he swatted Tron aside. "You fight for the one that has hurt me. I will hurt you." He raised his fist to strike down on Tron's head.

"Legion, stop," Janelle shouted and stood in between Tron and the SBM. "He's a friend. It's Tron."

"Janelle, get away from him," Sam cried out. He doubted she would get through to him.

"Tron?" Legion blinked. "Why is Tron helping the one that hurt me?"

"They did bad things to him," Janelle explained. "They might have hurt him, messed with his mind and made him like this." She turned to Tron. "Hey big guy."

Sam stared at Tron who was frozen once again. The corrupted program stared at Janelle with constantly blinking eyes.

"J-J-Janelle?"

"It's me," Janelle said. "You are the strongest program that I know. You can fight this."

"She doesn't know what she is getting into," Sam said. He barely watched as Legion tore through the remaining members of the enemy soldiers. His glanced darted towards Yori and Ram. The female program's eyes were filled with tears and Ram had his disk ready.

"Yes she does," Dad said.

"She had just been restored to life. Why would she want to risk it?"

"The same reason you would risk it for Quo—Sam, the ship."

* * *

Sam didn't know why his father was using such a simple distraction tactic but he looked and saw someone fall from one of the windows and onto the ground.

He ran up to the fallen program. He hoped that his father was right and that Ram, Yori and Legion would be enough to keep Tron or rather Rinzler from hurting Janelle or anyone else. To his surprise it was Regor. The program remained unmoving but he didn't de-rezz.

Sam crouched over him and gingerly touched his hands and chest, not sure on what he should be looking for.

"User," Regor gasped.

"Easy," Sam said.

"You thought I was dumb, dumb enough to fall out?"

"I don't think you fell," Sam answered. He was certain Regor had pissed off Osiris to the point where the tyrant decided to push him out. He noticed a half section of an Identity Disk was next to him. "You fought against him?"

"Had to. He's crazy. He's willing to fight against our Users. Osiris has to be stopped." The glow in his circuit pattern was fading.

"We will take care of him."

"I believe in you." His words came out as a dry whisper as his body de-rezzed.

Sam rose to his feet and glared at the window where Regor had fallen. He took a deep breath and raced up the stairway into the ship.

* * *

Rinzler stared at the female program. Her name was Janelle and there was something in the back of his head that said she was a friend and a User, but that couldn't be true. Users do not exist.

"Remember how we met?" Janelle asked. "You rescued me back when I was just a soul with out a body."

"Rescued," Rinzler repeated the word as he stared at her face. He could see her face several times in his mind. There was a place with music, on a solar sailer, with someone reciting strange words, riding on a light cycle, in the middle of a disk game, drinking energy from a spring, putting on armor, and the first time he saw her.

_Some of them have always been angels and others are the departed souls who watch over their loved ones._

"Flynn?" Rinzler asked. He could hear his voice in his head and he heard another voice.

_I fight for the Users_. It sounded like his own voice.

_I watch over them_. That voice belonged to her.

"Janelle, you are a guardian angel?" Rinzler asked.

"When I was a ghost?" Janelle asked.

_I died, d-erezzed as you say. The only thing left is my ghost, my soul._

"You died."

"And I came back." She grabbed his hand.

_Lies, lies, lies._

Rinzler closed his eyes. He was not going to hear it, not now.

"I died and you brought me back. I will help you bring you back. We all will."

_LIES, THEY ARE ALL LIES. YOU ARE RINZLER. YOU FIGHT FOR OSIRIS_.

Rinzler screamed. "Out of my head."

"Tron, please," Janelle spoke.

Rinzler shook his head. He stared at Janelle and past her. He could see several more programs running up to him and his soldiers.

THEY ARE THE ENEMY

"Enemies," Rinzler growled and stood back up. "You are all the enemy of our master and savior. I fight for Osiris." He brought one of his disk's down and cut through the armor and outer material of the program.

"Janelle," an older program cried out. "Tron stop it." He had the same voice as Rinzler.

"That's your User," Flynn told him. "Alan made you."

"Alan?" Rinzler stared at the older program and then at the shoulder of Janelle. "Alan-one is my User?"

_LIES. ALL THE ENEMY DOES IS LIE._

Rinzler cringed at the words and stared at Janelle. He saw red liquid trickled down. It was blood. Programs did not bleed.

"Oh Tron," Janelle gasped as she stared at him with tear filled eyes. "What have you become?"

Rinzler reeled back. He heard the same words before and he remembered who he was looking at. He was staring at Flynn, his friend. He said he fought for the Users, but they didn't exist. No, they were real and they bled and Janelle was one of them. Alan, Sam and Flynn were Users and he had attacked them.

"Janelle," Rinzler said as he stared into her eyes. "Get away from me. Get Alan away from me"

"I'm never going to leave you," she told him.

"We won't leave you," Alan said. "I got something that will help."

"Leave before I hurt you again." Rinzler told her

"I'm not going." She refused to budge.

"You must."

"Won't."

"Why?" Rinzler closed his eyes as he shouted the question.

"Because I love you too much to leave."

He opened his eyes and saw that she had her hands clamped over her mouth and her eyes were at their widest. She didn't seem to notice that Alan was doing something to her disk that was still attached to it's back harness.

_FIGHT THE ENEMY. TAKE HER TO OSIRIS. OBEY YOUR MASTER. WHO DO YOU FIGHT FOR_?

Rinzler clawed at the ground. He refused to touch his disks. He looked at Janelle who said she loved him, him a program and she was a User. He glanced at Alan, at Ram and Yori. He looked at his friends and who they were fighting for. He remembered how they fought in the past, against the MCP. He remembered fighting against Clu, being defeated and how he tried to fight what Clu had done to him.

WHO DO YOU FIGHT FOR?

"I fight for the Users!" He raised his head to the sky as he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Tron, take this," Janelle said as she held out her own disk to him. "This will help you."

Rinzler grabbed the disk with a shaking hand. The second his fingers wrapped around it he felt a jolt of energy that shot through him and into his body, such beautiful energy. The voices in his head melted away before all he saw was darkness.

* * *

"He's going to run out of soldiers if he keeps this up," Sam said after he had finished de-rezzing another group of soldiers. He had made his way through the ship to the doorway of where he believed Osiris was. "This isn't going to be easy."

The room was nearly empty save for a small bar, a lounger and a screen. Osiris was standing in front of the window looking out.

"Recognizers are bringing more of my soldiers," Osiris said. His voice was distant. "I see them in the sky, but on the ground it is different. I see more of my troops fighting their army, but they are losing, not all de-rezzing, losing what I have done to them."

"I guess this means that you have lost," Sam said as he marched straight up to the program.

"I think not," Osiris said as he spun around to face him. His hair was disheveled, teeth were bared and eyes were wide open with a wild look in them. "As long as I am still around I have not lost."

Sam shook his head. "At this point you don't even have Seabiscuit's hope."

"My armies are coming." Osiris clenched his hand around his own disk and the remaining piece from Regor's. "I have broken through the firewall." He took a step towards Sam. "I have reprogrammed the warrior back into Rinzler, who know serves me." He took another step toward's Sam. "What do you have, User?"

"Friends," Sam said before he raced towards him. He jumped in the air and was ready to pounce down on the viral program.

* * *

Tron heard the sounds of battle echo around him as he came to. He opened his and waited until the images stopped shaking in double forms before he sat up.

"How are you?" Alan asked. He had both of Tron's disks in his hand and looked like he was trying to see if there was any other damage he could repair.

"I'm well," Tron answered and smiled at Janelle who was sitting next to Alan. "I am beginning to re-think the staying behind plan."

"That may be for the best," Alan told him.

"What's going on?" He rubbed his head. "How did you cure me?"

"Adrian came through," Janelle said. "The five programs gave us something that would prevent infection and it cleans up any corruption of any other program."

"Hooray for our side," Tron said. "Flynn is here?"

"At times," Flynn's voice told him. "I'm also with Sam at others and also with Quorra. I can't be everywhere at the same time."

"Where is Quorra?"

"She's fighting," Alan said and pointed to where the ISO was using her disk against another of the guard, but she wasn't killing it. She only smacked her disk against it's back, into it's own disk. It caused the corrupted program to have their lights glow the brightest before fading to light blue.

He turned around and watched as Arc tumbled through the air and land on one of the helmet's of the enemy and smack it with his disk before he catapulted back into the air and landed on another guard.

Even Legion had been given the gift. He grabbed members of the black guard, picked them up and smacked their disk's with his fingers.

"Where is Sam?" Tron asked.

"He went to face Osiris," Alan said

Tron turned to Janelle. "Janelle, I need to ask you something."

"It's about what I said isn't it," Janelle sighed. "Sometimes emotions take contro-"

"Shhh." He placed a finger on her lips. "I wanted to ask you if you thought Osiris still wanted you."

"I think he does," Janelle said. "I'm not a hundred percent sure."

"Sam is going to need our help."

"What are we going to do?"

"Follow me," Tron instructed and ran towards the ship along with the restored User.

Two guards ran in front to block off the entrance.

Tron was about to toss his disk, but he didn't have to, another disk cut off the enemies' weapons.

"Shouldn't be too hard," Janelle said and kicked against the knees of one.

"Not at all," Tron agreed and struck out the other guard with his fist. He grabbed onto the disk of the guard and watched how it glowed, followed by the change in the color of the circuitry on the armor.

"Who threw that disk to help?" Janelle asked.

"I know who," Tron said as he saw a familiar program doing battle against one of the enemy. "Thank you, Ram."

As they made their way through the ship, Tron had worked out the plan in his head. He just hoped it would look believable.

"Stop," he said when he and Janelle reached outside Osiris's room. There was a guard lying on the groud, unconscious. Tron placed a hand on the guard, closed his eyes and concentrated. He thought of himself as Rinzler, pictured himself as the obedient enforcer for tyrant programs. When he opened his eyes his circuit lights were red.

"Tron?" Janelle whispered.

"It's me. I need you to pretend that you are my prisoner."

She nodded and handed him her disk.

"Thank you." He secured it and grabbed pulled her arms behind her and held her by the wrists. "In here." He stepped inside the room.

"Let me go," Janelle cried and tried to look over her shoulder at him. "Please, Tron."

"My name is Rinzler, program," Tron answered.

"God damn it," Sam said. He had been fighting against Osiris and both he and his opponent were winded and low on energy. "Let her go."

Tron waited until Sam had run up to him before he punched the User in the gut.

"Good," Osiris said with a smile. "You are my best man." His smile grew wider. "And you will be my best woman, my dear."

"Never," Janelle said. "I don't know where you come off thinking I would ever be in to you, Dirofilaria immitis."

"You have quite the mouth on you," Osiris said. "I know Users tend to do such interesting things with their mouths." He leaned down and was met with a slap to the face.

Tron growled and shoved Janelle to the ground. "You do not talk to him like that."

"And you do not harm what is mine," Osiris growled.

"I am sorry," Tron said as he bowed down in front of him. "I do not like seeing any harm befall you."

"I understand," Osiris said as held out his hand. "You make a wonderful enforcer. I'm glad I have you to serve me."

Tron grabbed the outstretched hand and looked up. Without a single word he grabbed a disk and slammed it into the chest of the tyrant.

"What?" Osiris gasped as he stared down at the disk that was half embedded into his body.

"Game over," Sam said.

"No," Osiris said as he clawed at the disk. "I have won. I conquered this system." His eyes turned back as he sparked. His lights were fading. "My game continues." The words were choked out as his body crumbled into thousands of tiny glass cubes and formed a glittering pile on the ground.

"Good riddance," Sam said.

"Sorry about hurting you," Tron said.

"You were under his control for a bit," Sam told him. "Not your fault."

"I meant just now."

"That was nothing." The male User ran up to the window. "How are they doing?"

Tron followed him and looked out. He saw much more freedom fighters than he did black guard. He saw them as they continued their way through the city.

"We are winning."

"Still have to get all the soldiers in the rest of the system," Sam said.

"I think we can do it," Janelle said.

"That won't be a problem at all," Tron said. He felt an arm around his shoulder and realized it was Sam's. He smiled at his friend while he grabbed onto Janelle's hand.

* * *

**A/N:** Dirofilaria immitis is the Latin term for heart worm.

Almost done, just a few more chapters left. Thanks to all who faved, reviewed and added this story to their alerts.


	22. A Temporary Farewell

**Restitution**

_Chapter 22: A tempoary Farewell_

_

* * *

_

Cool liquid was poured in a tall glass, first the indigo, followed by cerulean and finally topped with turquoise.

"Thank you," Tron said and picked up the glass. He took a small sip. It was perfect, refreshing, reenergizing and delicious. "This is good, you are a true artist of energy."

"You flatter me too much," Pollux said as he mixed together another drink. "Just don't stop."

The battle had continued on. Once the sector enclosed within the firewall had all the invading programs either de-rezzed or cured the freedom fighters continued on across the sea. They had taken the sailers, light jets, recognizers and even Osiris's ship once Yori had replaced the component.

Tron had felt some guilt from attacking his friends, even though they kept telling him it wasn't his fault. He chalked it up to being a natural feeling. His guilt was increased after he had helped vaccinate several of the corrupted programs. How many members of the Black Guard had he de-rezzed? They were once like him, repurposed to serve a different function. They did not have to die. Not all of the soldiers were once programs from the system. Several de-rezzed when they were given the vaccine, they were part of the original infection along with Osiris, but Tron didn't think about them, only the innocent.

"Please stop thanking me for just pouring and mixing," Pollux said after he served a couple of drinks to Quorra and Sam.

"I thought that was what you wanted to hear," Alan said before he took another drink from his glass.

"I'm not objecting to the compliments," Pollux said. "I never object to those, but you do not have to thank me for simply refreshing you. You are all heroes. You deserve this. Thanks to you, the system is free, my theater nor my creative integrity shall be threatened and most importantly I got my girls back." He nodded towards Wraith and Sylph.

"We are happy to be back," Wraith said as she and her sister nodded at their boss.

"I know this may sound bad," Pollux said after he cleared his throat. "But could one of you be a dear and play some music? I have my friends, and the biggest heroes of the resistance in my theater house. We are going to make sure this will be the best victory party in the sector."

Once the battle was over every club and bar had reopened and invited everyone who had fought to celebrate. The drinks were on the house to all the heroes. Pollox had insisted that Tron and his friends celebrate at Babbage, even though it was a theater with the promise that Pollux was a better energy mixer than anyone. The theater owner did live up to his boast.

"What kind of music?" Sylph asked.

"Both kinds," Pollux answered.

"Both kinds?" Alan asked.

"There are only two," Pollux claimed. "Program music and User music." He smiled when the music started. "That is the right way to start." He shifted his hips along to the beat of the song.

"How are the ideas coming?" Janelle asked after she had taken a long sip from her drink.

"They are coming along well my dear," Pollux said and took her hand. He placed a kiss on her knuckles. "I never lost hope that you would all succeed."

"We appreciate that," Quorra said and leaned closer against Sam. "We just won a major battle, a small war, but we still won."

"We had a lot of help," Sam said and nodded to the few members of the fighters from Flynn's grid.

"But we won," Quorra said. Her voice was hinting at something and she was giving Sam an intense look with her eyes.

"Ah." Sam set down his glass and brushed his finger under her chin. He closed his eyes and leaned down. His lips brushed against hers and they held onto kiss.

"That is what I'm talking about," Pollux said with jubilation and pointed at the couple. "That is the way to celebrate victory. All couples should be kissing."

"Exactly," Janelle said and set down her drink. "Tron and Yori should be kissing." She got back up onto her feet. "We also need a toast. A toast to victory and to great love." She frowned when she stared at her near empty glass. "Uh Pollux, I'd hate to trouble you but-"

"My dear, my dear, my sweet beautiful and wonderful dear," Pollux began as he waved his finger at her. "You do not need to apologize or say you are a trouble for simply asking for a refill, and how can anyone make a proper toast without a drink?" He held out his hand for her to take. "I also have a few ideas I like to run by you, if you don't mind."

"I'd be delighted," Janelle said as she accepted the flamboyant program's hand and followed him to the far side of the room where he kept his bar.

Tron glanced to Yori and then back at the direction where Janelle and Pollux had left.

"Tron," Yori spoke to him in a tone that said she did not want to tell him the truth, but it was going to come out anyway. "There is something you need to know."

"You and Ram are together and in love," Tron stated in a dry tone. Even when he was repurposed he could see the way the two of them were staring at each other.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, I tried to tell you back in my tent." She paused and sighed. "I have loved you and a part of me will always care about you, but I thought you had long been de-rezzed since we haven't been able to communicate. If I knew you had been repurposed into Rinzler I would have waited." She stared at her hands and looked back in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"You should never apologize for that." He took her hands into his. "I had thought the same of you after I rebooted back to my true self in the sea. I had no idea if I would ever see you."

"You should go to her," Yori said as she nodded her head to the doorway to where Janelle had run off. "She feels the same about you."

"What?" He glanced back at Janelle before he stared at Yori. "What do you mean?"

"I've noticed the way you look at her. The sparks are developing and I heard what she said. Go to her. I don't know what you will do, embrace her, talk to her, help her select a new drink, but just go to her."

"I've always fought for the users, I never would have thought…" He couldn't quite finish his thought.

"of the possibility with falling in love with one?"

Tron smiled and brushed his fingers against her eyebrows. He was not upset with Yori being in love with Ram. He could not be happier with her choice. Ram was a great program, a fierce fighter and skilled with the disk and if he was anything like his predecessor then he would be friendly and relaxed.

He scooted himself from the table and walked off to where Janelle and Pollux were. Pollux was shaking something up while speaking with the User.

"She feels acceptance in this world," Pollux said. "But I'm wondering if she would resent the User world since that was where she was hurt."

Janelle shrugged. "Or maybe the digital world renewed something in her. It made her want to live again and with a second chance of life she was ready for everything an anything."

"Are you saying she might want to leave the digital world?" Pollux raised an eyebrow.

She nodded. "Not forever, not when her true love is in this world, but she would want to see and talk with those that she cared about, family, friends, a few nice coworkers."

"I see," Pollux said and looked up. "Ah hero, do you wish for a refill?"

"I wish to speak with Janelle," He said. "Alone."

Pollux nodded and stepped away from the bar while still carrying the silver canister that had the drink he was mixing.

"What's wrong?" Janelle asked

"Janelle," he made certain Pollux was not close by to eavesdrop on them. "I want to speak with you about what you said when I was Rinzler."

"Oh." She looked down and then up as if she was trying to seek out something from above. "I was caught up in the event. I was driven by my emotions."

"Did you mean those words?"

She sighed again and closed her eyes. She tried to stop it but a bit of tear dribbled out of her closed eyes.

Tron walked straight up to her and grabbed her wrists. "Look at me and tell me." He waited for her to open her eyes. "Did you mean what you said?"

"Yes, every word of it, but I shouldn't have said them."

"Why?"

"Because it isn't fair to you and Yori. You should be with the one you love."

"I am." He brushed his finger under her chin. "I have started to develop feelings for you."

"But Yori, you should be with her. That's how the story goes. The hero ends up with the heroine."

"The games change and so do stories. She and Ram are together."

"Oh." She blinked. "But you two were so perfect together. Your Users are still married and very much still in love with each other."

He smiled. "I am pleased that Alan and his wife are happy and I want Yori and Ram to be happy together."

"You should be happy."

"I could say the same about you. You are alive again and you should be able to live, to find happiness and love and I'm happy when I'm with you."

"I'm falling hard for you, but I don't want to go too fast."

"I know we are different, but there is one thing I know Users do is this." He had to lean down and she had to stand on her toes but their lips met. Her lips were warm, tingly and sensual. He could feel her warmth going into him. He didn't want to part, but knew that she had to breath.

"Wow," Janelle gasped when they parted.

He couldn't stop smiling as he stared at her. He stroked her hair and noticed that sparkles were appearing in the air around his chest.

"Are you ready to go back?" He asked as held out his hand.

"I don't want to miss our victory party." She grabbed onto his hand and leaned against his chest.

"You still want to take things slow?"

"Of course."

"Another thing I know Users do is go on dates. Would you like to go to the Codebreakers club with me in fifteen millicycles? You can teach me more about dancing."

"I'd be delighted."

* * *

Alan stared at the surrounding beauty of the city. He wanted to take it all in before he left with Sam and Quorra. Arc had led them to a tower that was connected with the laser at ENCOM, and while they still had time to return to the tower in Kevin's Grid, Sam wanted to return with Alan.

"You will come back," Kevin said to him. The ghost of his friend had been quiet up to about now. "No one who ever visited here would ever leave and never want to come back."

"Even if I couldn't help I would be back," Alan said. It wasn't just the beauty, nor was the fact that this place existed or that his friend had created one. "I'm going to be helping Sam with your Grid and I want to do more studies, learn and see if Janelle can return to our world."

"Still can't believe she has a new living form," Kevin said.

"It is a miracle, speaking of returning to our world, are you coming?"

"I'm still undecided," Kevin said. "You and Sam will need my guidance here. You won't be able to hear me there."

"You will make your presence known. You always have."

Kevin laughed. "That is true."

"ENCOM needs you. They say your spirit is in the company you can make it true. Be the new ghost, and there is the possibility of you crossing over, if you wish."

"My parents," Kevin sighed. "Jordan, my beautiful Jordan. I don't know if I will cross over, even if I want to."

"If you can't you can still watch over Sam. There is the possibility that you can come back to life through the laser and with Tron and the sea. You won't be able to do that if you remain here."

"Alan, it's time," Janelle said. She had been talking with Quorra up until now. "Sam said that Adrian has turned on the laser."

"Your move, Flynn," Alan said before he followed after the former ghost to the portal. "Janelle, you are not upset about having to stay here, are you?"

"A little," Janelle said as she stared up at the light radiating from the tower. "I have a place to stay. Sam and Quorra told us about Kevin's place off the Grid in his section of Cyberspace."

"Us?" Alan asked and a pretty good guess who one of the others are.

"Tron, Legion and I. We have to change a few things to make room for Legion but I have User powers. I may not be a programmer but Sam told me I still had a shot."

"You and Tron are now an item?"

She shrugged. "We are taking it slow and we will do a lot of couple stuff. I know that he has big time duty as training more warriors and help keeping Kevin's Grid safe and I weighed the other options in my mind."

"Other options?"

"I'm carbon based, he's probably silicon. I'll age, he won't. I know about the difference, but I know in my heart that this is where I want to be."

"I will visit you as often as I can," Alan said and gave her a hug.

"Alan!" Sam cried out. He was standing in the middle of the light with Quorra. He was holding a disk above his head, most likely his father's. It was Kevin's disk that helped get him and anyone else in and out of Kevin's Grid. It was probably not needed to return to ENCOM.

Alan ran up to them and stood in between them. He looked back and watched as Janelle stood waving at them with a smile on her face. Tron had ran up to her and placed an arm around her.

* * *

The white light filled Alan's vision blinding him of the view of his friends. White turned to blue-green and he felt like he was being pulled up until everything went dark.

Blackness had lightened to bright-green once again as Alan felt himself land as if he was in an elevator. The illumination faded, revealing objects that became clearer until the light was gone and all he could see was the computer terminal that he and Adrian were working at.

"We all made it through," Sam said. He and Quorra were on the ground next to him.

"Holy shit!" Adrian was heard from behind him followed by the clicking sound of switches being turned off.

Alan turned around as Adrian pushed a metal shelving unit in between them and the laser.

"Adrian." Alan found his voice. He was going to have to say the right words to explain everything. "I know th-"He didn't get to finish thanks to Adrian tackling him to the floor and embracing him.

"Thank God, thank God, thank God," Adrian kept mumbling over and over. "I thought you were dead, that laser just burned you away, dissolved you, deleted-"

"De-rezzed?" Quorra asked.

"Huh?" Adrian blinked and stared at her and then at Sam. "You really were in the system with him? I thought it was just an instant message and when did you get in there?" He pointed at the computer. "And what the hell guys? What the hell happened in there? And why do I hear a printer?"

Alan tilted his head and he also heard the gritty screeching sound of a printer in action. He turned around and saw one of the closest printers as page full of various program codes fell out and into the catch basket. Another page loaded and the process began again.

"What is it?" Quorra asked as Sam picked up the freshly printed sheet.

"What we just fought," Sam answered as he read. "The schematics of it, full description and details and it's by someone called Full Magnum. That has to be a screen name."

"A little sleuthing and it will lead us to Regor's User," Alan said. "Anything that will incriminate Dillinger?"

"Wait," Adrian said as he placed his fingers in a time out gesture. "Ed Dillinger junior is responsible for the mess we just cleaned up?"

Alan stared at the youth and sighed. "Adrian, we have a lot to explain. This all goes back to Kevin Flynn." He felt a chill against the back of his neck.

"Dad?" Sam asked and rubbed the back of his neck.

"What about your dad?" Adrian asked.

"He's at the beginning," Alan explained. "The story starts with him."

* * *

**A/N: **The Second to the last chapter.


	23. Friends and Love

**Restitution**

_Chapter 23 Friends and Love_

_

* * *

_

"He's late," Tron said as he waited at the foothills near his home in the Outlands of Flynn's Grid. He had been living there with Janelle and Legion for some time. Janelle had said it been weeks since she arrived. They both tried to calculate a and figure out a time system. They were not certain how long it had been since Alan and the others have returned.

"Are you certain?" Legion asked. He had asked to wait with Tron.

"Very certain." Tron stared again and saw a blip. The glowing blip grew larger and larger, revealing itself to be light runner, adorned with glowing magenta. "That should be him." He had requested a gift for Janelle, something special for her.

The light runner stopped and Pollux stumbled out. He rubbed his left hip and glared at the vehicle before he looked at them.

"I do not like driving these things." He pointed at the light runner. "I'm going to be sore from all the bumpies and won't be able to get my groove on later this evening."

"Do you need any energy to drink?" Legion asked.

"Oh don't worry about me," Pollux said as he held up his hands. "I already have a glass in this accursed means of travel. I designed it with holders."

"Did you get what I asked you to get?" Tron asked and folded his arms across his chest.

"Right here," Pollux said as held up a small metallic media player. "This is for one of my muses, yes?"

"It's for one of the Users," Tron confirmed as he accepted the file. He ran his finger over it. He hoped it would live up to her expectations.

"Will you stay for some time?" Legion asked. "We will have User food soon." They did receive a message from Sam he was about to turn on the laser portal and return with some food. He was going to need some help to bring it all and Ram and Yori had offered to bring it.

"Ah temptation, I know that song and dance all too well. I'm sorry my lovelies I would enjoy to partake upon this experience but I need to get back to my theater and my screenplay." His smile turned to a scowl as he opened the door of his light runner and hopped inside.

"I hope she likes it." Tron stared at the file again.

"If it came from you then she will love it."

Tron smiled as he thought about the past millicycles. He was good on his offer to take Janelle to Codebreakers. They had a few drinks and they danced, well she danced and he tried to follow. She took his hands and gave him a small dance lesson. She had given him several dance lessons since then.

He had been teaching her as well. He taught her how to ride her light cycle better than she already knew. He took her through various places in Flynn's Grid and the ENCOM system and showed her his favorite scenes. He taught her how to protect herself better and how to fight in case they came across something similar to grid bugs or even more rogue programs.

She wasn't the only one Tron had taught. He worked with several other programs, most were security and he showed them how to fight better. Tron took them through various training grounds and put them through exercises. He was a firm and strong teacher, but never cruel. He tried to be a fair instructor. He never insulted any of them when they failed to do a task or did so but used poor judgment, or ended up with sloppy moves. He only expressed his disappointment and promised more training. Whenever they did something well or exceeded his expectations he would give them the praise that they deserved.

It wasn't just work for Tron. He took some time to relax and besides dancing and going to bars and light cycle rides Tron and Janelle would attending game events on the Game Grid or in various game arenas. They would also participate in the games. Janelle only played the disk arenas but Tron would play in several. He enjoyed racing around his light cycle, playing against opponents in the ring game, firing at each other in tanks. The games were just for fun again. The artillery for the tanks were duds, there was a net underneath the rings, a special buffer was on the outer edge of their disks and no one was derezzed for losing.

Sometimes they would just relax at home. They would play the several different games that Flynn had brought over, board games as Janelle called them. Other times they would just watch various forms of User entertainment on the screens or they would read. There had been a few times when Tron returned from his duties, feeling sore and tired and found Janelle in bed. He would grab a book and a bottle of energy and climb in with her and read until he needed to sleep. Once he climbed into bed and she was just there staring up at the roof and couldn't sleep. He held her close, made his soft growling sound that she likened to a cat's purr until they both drifted off together.

"There are more," Legion said as pointed to three vehicles as they pulled up.

"That should be our friends," Tron said. He watched as the vehicles had stopped and people stepped out and began removing large boxes and placing them on the ground.

"Legion," Quorra called out to them. "We are really going to need your help with this."

The both walked over and saw the several boxes that were filled with colorful items. Quorra handed several over to Legion and topped the boxes in his arms with several flat boxes that were filled with metal cylinders.

"What is all this?" Tron asked and looked at everyone else who was unloading. He saw Alan, Yori and Ram making stacks that they could carry. He saw Sam talking with someone that looked like Dirk.

"Here," Quorra said as she handed Tron several more of the flat boxes.

"What are these?" He asked.

"Soda," Quorra answered. "Users drink it, and it's sweet and tastes good. It tickles your mouth and it makes you burp."

"What is a burp?"

"A fun sensation."

Tron decided to take her word for it and followed her into the house. He set the flat boxes down next to the similar packages and watched as Alan and Yori were putting different things, or food in the cooling units.

"You guys didn't have to go all out like this," Janelle said as she helped Ram and Legion put more things away in the cupboards. "I can live off energy."

"You are going to need more than that," Alan said. He was not wearing the armor that was put on him when he first came to the digital world. Now he work a black shirt with the same glowing emblem as the one on his armor, a pair of slacks, a jacket with glowing lapels and two downward diagonal circuits and black shoes with a circular light on each one. He was also wearing something on his face. It was made of thin black bars that seemed to frame his eyes. "Not to mention that you might enjoy this more."

"There was some food here," Janelle said. She gave Alan a good look over. "Nice new threads."

"Oh this?" Alan pointed at his clothes. "I just wanted something a bit more comfortable."

"Even your glasses?" Janelle asked.

He laughed. "I don't need them here. I just wear these frames because my face feels naked without them."

"Sam brought chips before and there were boxes of mac and cheese, pasta, jars of spaghetti sauce, and ramen, and trust me after five years of not being able to eat or taste those were delicacies."

"We are just trying to make living here special," Alan continued.

"Let me at least help." She ran out of the area.

"There were a lot of boxes," Legion said. "I'm big and strong. I should go back out."

Tron nodded at him and continued helping his friends put the food away. The task took over a hundred nanos, but they had everything put away and had it organized.

"That took a lot out of me," Alan said and wiped his brow.

"Let me get you something." Tron grabbed several glasses and filled them with energy. "Wait, I should be offering you some of that soda."

"It's okay," Ram said as he accepted his glass. "This is more than enough."

"The soda isn't cold enough," Alan added and took a sip.

"Where are the others?" Tron asked. He wanted to show them something, especially to Janelle.

"Probably still outside," Alan said.

"Did Osiris's User receive the justice he deserved?" Tron asked as they walked out.

"That is a good question," Ram said.

Alan sighed and shook his head. "We found Maxwell Ricker. He got squeezed and confessed but said he did it all on his own, whether he did it because Dillinger paid him enough or because he wanted to be able to use it as hacker credit I have no idea."

"You were able to remove Osiris's User from the company?" Tron asked.

"Don't have enough evidence," Alan answered after another sigh. "I did manage to speak with him alone, talked about Egyptian deities and brought up the name of the god of the underworld."

"Who also was named Osiris?" Ram asked.

"Exactly. I made Junior flinch and warned him that I, Sam, Adrian and several others are going to be on his back and keep a close eye on him."

"Tron, you think you and I can do a little detective work and see if we can find some incriminating information on this User?" Ram gave him a sly smile.

"It will be almost too easy," Tron said.

"I think Kevin might get him to crack," Alan said. "I don't know what he is doing to Dillinger but that boy is a nervous wreck. He jumps at everything."

"Have you spoke with Flynn?" Ram asked.

"Sort of. When I'm alone in my office I speak to him to see if he is listening. He wrote me a few notes. He also rearranged a few things in my office." He chuckled again. "Even as a ghost he's still the same old Kevin Flynn."

Tron smiled as he stepped out of the dwelling. He froze when he saw that Janelle was in the arms of Dirk. He glared at the program's direction.

"Easy," Alan said and placed his hand on Tron's shoulder. "That's Adrian."

"Adrian," Tron whispered the name and was ashamed at himself. He could not think ill thoughts of the User that had saved the system and Tron himself. He also knew that Adrian and Janelle were once in love.

"This is a miracle," Adrian said once he and Janelle had parted. He had also wore a black shirt with a glowing circuitry emblem on the chest. His was an almost complete circle with a vertical dash in the broken are at top. He also wore slacks and black boots that had vertical bars of circuitry and triangular lights on them. His indigo jacket was also equipped with glowing lapels and there were horizontal circuit lines on the sleeves. "Your parents have to come here, your whole family, Kathleen, Heather, all our friends." He paused to catch his breath. "Are you sure you are happy for Kathleen and me?"

"You both deserve the best and you got the best." She closed her eyes. "Just promise me that when little Janelle is a little older you will bring here."

"I will."

"You might not have to wait that long," Sam told them. "We just need to do a few tests and we are certain you will be able to come out with us."

"Can Tron come with us to our world?"

"Sure," Alan said. "If Quorra can enter our world I don't see why my program can't join in on the fun." He looked over to Tron. "That is if you want to."

"To see the world of the Users?" Tron asked. "I have dreamed of that day."

"This is Tron?" Adrian asked as he walked over. "Wow, Alan he-"

"I know," Alan said and chuckled. "I'm never going to stop hearing it."

"I do not doubt it," Adrian said and held out his hand. "I'm Adrian Dawson."

"I am Tron." He shook his hand. "It is an honor to meet the heroic User."

"I'm no hero," Adrian said. "You didn't see me freaking out back there."

"You are still a hero to many and you were once special to Janelle. You are her friend and that alone makes you admirable in my eyes."

"She was once special to me," Adrian said. "She is a very good friend and you better be good to her."

"I only want the best for her."

"So do I."

"Adrian come here," Quorra called to him. "The song is being set up. I thought it should be Unchained Melody, but Sam told me that isn't the right song."

"It's not their song," Sam said and turned on some music. "Just one dance."

"Not one of the most romantic songs," Adrian said as he took Janelle's hands back into his. "But it was one of the last songs we danced to." He looked into her eyes and sang along with the lyrics. "So denied, So I lied, are you the now or never kind."

Tron watched as the two danced and refused to move. He watched as Sam lead Quorra to the music and he watched as Yori and Ram danced along to it.

"We need our own song," Quorra said as soon as the music stopped.

"We will," Sam told her.

"User couples have songs," Tron said and turned to Alan. "Do you and Lora have one?"

"Yes we do," Alan said with a big grin on his face.

Tron would have asked what it was if he hadn't been nudged by Legion. He looked up at the large SBM.

"You have a gift for Janelle," Legion said.

"Yes I do," Tron said and turned back to where the Users stood. "Janelle, I have something special for you. It's a visual file. We can all watch if you want."

"I'd love to." She looked around at everyone. "Does everyone want to kick back for a little entertainment?"

Everyone said yes.

* * *

They stopped by the kitchen first and Janelle grabbed several plates and opened the cooling unit. She took out pieces of bright colored food and placed them on the plates. She handed one to Tron

"What is it?" He asked as he looked at it. There were a few rectangular pieces of food. The top half of one was brownish pink, another was pinkish orange and the third was white with a silvery edge. The bottom halves were white and made out of tiny pieces of something that was stuck together in a large clump. The top pieces were soft and smooth.

"Sushi. That's tuna, salmon and mackerel and they are delicious." She handed out more pieces to everyone.

Tron shrugged and took a bite of the tuna. His eyes widened as the experience of various sensations filled his mouth. He looked down at his hand and found it was gone. He had eaten it so fast, it was that good. He made sure to eat the other pieces slower so he could enjoy it longer

"Sorry about that," Janelle said after everyone had eaten. "I hadn't had any in so long and that was pretty good for where you got it."

"Take out at Shogun's," Sam told her.

"No wonder it was delicious. I doubt a wholesale club could make Sushi that good. Now for the visual."

"I'll put it in," Tron said and placed the file into the reader. After he pressed the right button he sat down on the sofa next to Janelle.

The screen filled with an image of planet Earth that spun around and the words spelling out Universal wrapped around it. The blue planet turned brown.

"Earth that was could no longer sustain our numbers," a woman's voice was heard. "We were so many."

Tron turned to watch Janelle's face as she took in the visual. Her eyes widened after a few nanos.

"Serenity," she gasped and turned to him. "You are wonderful."

"I'm glad you like it," Tron said and accepted her kiss.

* * *

_The End_

**A/N:** Thanks to all who faved, reviewed and added my story to their alerts.

The song Adrian sang is "Here's to the Night" By Eve6

I had the idea for a drowned ghost named Janelle since the 90's and the Disney Channel played Tron a lot as part of their Sci Fi summer. In the original she fell in love with the program created by her former human lover when she was alive. I was originally going to do that here, but my muse had other plans.

As for future Tron fics, I have two that are brewing. One will be called **User Rectified**. A dark and adult fic. The other will be rated T and it's a crossover with Supernatural. It will be called **In Cyberspace No One Can Hear You Scream**.


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